Day 1 of Wimbledon 2025 certainly lived up to the hype, with plenty of rollercoaster matches from the start of the day. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz staged another escape act, surviving a spirited challenge from veteran Fabio Fognini.
Alcaraz earned a hard-fought 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 over Fognini to begin his title defense. Reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys was pushed to the brink by Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her opener here. However, she dug deep to register a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-5 comeback win.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Ons Jabeur’s journey at Wimbledon was cut short abruptly. Both retired from their first-round matches due to health issues, bringing an unfortunate end to their campaign. While their exits cannot be termed as upsets in the strictest sense, there were some other surprising losses on the first day. Here’s a look at the four most shocking results from Day 1 of Wimbledon 2025:
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#1. Jelena Ostapenko
Ostapenko was the first big name to fall at this year's Wimbledon, with the 20th seed going down to home hope Sonay Kartal. The opening set slipped from the Latvian's grasp after blowing a 5-2 lead and three set points. She bounced back to take the second set but quickly fell behind in the decider.
Ostapenko made her final stand towards the end of the match, bagging two games in a row to stop her younger rival from serving out the match. However, Kartal wasn't to be denied and served out the match on her second try, wrapping up a 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 win in front of a roaring home crowd.
#2. Holger Rune
Rune made himself quite comfortable at the All England Club over the past two years. He reached the quarterfinals in 2023 and bowed out in the fourth round last year. He was expected to make a winning start to his campaign this year considering his first-round opponent, Nicolas Jarry, was in the middle of a slump.
Jarry started the season ranked in the top 40 and has since dropped out of the top 140. He had also won only six main draw matches at the ATP level this year. When eighth seed Rune won the first two sets of their first-round contest, no one predicted what would unfold next.
Jarry edged out Rune to take the third set and kept himself in contention after coming out on top in the fourth set as well. His confidence swelled after the momentum shift and he outplayed his younger rival in the fifth set to complete an impressive 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win.
This marked Jarry's fourth career win at Wimbledon and his first against a top 10 player this year. As for Rune, the loss must sting after being in the driver's seat for half of the match.
#3. Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev made the final of the Boss Open in Stuttgart, going down to Alexander Bublik in the summit clash. This seemed like an adequate prep for Wimbledon, where he had made the last four for the past two years.
When Benjamin Bonzi was revealed to be his first-round opponent this year, ninth seed Medvedev was expected to win quite easily. The Frenchman went 0-3 in main draw matches on grass in the lead-up to the grass court Major.
However, Bonzi seemed like a different player against the Russian. He sneaked past him in the tie-break to take the first set, though Medvedev responded by taking the second set.
The third set went to a tie-break, in which Bonzi gained the upper hand. He ran circles around the former World No. 1 in the fourth set, sealing a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 win. This marked Medvedev's third consecutive defeat at a Major, starting with his second-round exit from the Australian Open and followed by a first-round exit from the French Open.
#4. Francisco Cerundolo
16th seed Cerundolo's dreams of making a deep run at Wimbledon came crashing down with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-0 defeat at the hands of Nuno Borges. This marked the latter's first win at the All England Club after losing in the first round for the past three years.
Cerundolo captured the first set but remained a step behind his opponent for the rest of the match. He rallied from a break down in the second and third sets but couldn't raise his level even further when it mattered. Borges sealed the deal decisively, dishing out a bagel for his maiden victory at the venue.
