the biggest shock of 2026 Wimbledon by a Finn !

Otto Virtanen dug deep to register the biggest shock of 2026 Wimbledon so far on Tuesday afternoon, when he saved a match point to stun fourth seed Ben Shelton in a five-set first-round thriller.

The No. 140 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Virtanen prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9) in a four-hour, 21-minute battle on No. 2 Court. The Finn saved the match point at 8/9 in the 10-point deciding tie-break, before converting his first after Shelton fired a forehand wide.

The win against World No. 5 Shelton was the biggest of Virtanen’s career by PIF ATP Ranking: He had not previously defeated a Top-20 opponent. A former World No. 91, Virtanen came through qualifying in Roehampton last week to secure his second appearance in the Wimbledon main draw.

Awaiting the 25-year-old Virtanen in the second round at the All England Club will be World No. 114 Arthur Fery. The home favourite earlier downed Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.