Day 1 of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships got off to a thrilling start on Monday, and fans were treated to multiple first-round upsets in both the men’s and women’s draws. Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Leylah Fernandez, and French Open finalist Maja Chwalińska headlined the list of seeded players who were sent packing on an eventful opening day at the All England Club.
Wimbledon Upsets, Featuring Casper Ruud, Leylah Fernandez
Men’s Singles
Four seeded players were eliminated in the men’s singles on Day 1 of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. Ruud, the 11th seed, saw his Wimbledon campaign come to an end following a straight-sets defeat to Hubert Hurkacz. The Norwegian, who has never made it past the second round at SW19, was unable to match the Pole’s quality on the surface.
Rublev, the 12th seed, was also beaten in the first round. The Russian lost 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (12) to compatriot Roman Safiullin in a five-set thriller. The defeat marks a second-straight first-round exit at Wimbledon for Rublev, whose best result at the Grand Slam is a quarterfinal appearance in 2023.
14th seed Luciano Darderi, who made a big splash during the clay-court swing, was stunned by talented American youngster Ethan Quinn in straight sets.
Meanwhile, British tennis’ woes continued as Cameron Norrie lost in five sets to Michael Zheng. The 26th seed was handed a 7-6 (7), 2-6, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-7 (4) defeat by the young American in a match that lasted four hours.
Women’s Singles
Looking to build on her incredible French Open run, which saw her finish as runner-up, wildcard entrant Chwalińska suffered a heartbreaking loss to Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
The Pole, seeded 20th, appeared to be cruising to victory but picked up what appeared to be a foot injury while serving for the match in the second set, allowing the Thai player to turn things around and clinch a shock 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
22nd seed Leylah Fernandez ended her disappointing grass-court singles campaign with a 6-1, 7-6 (3) defeat against Janice Tjen. The Canadian’s loss extended her poor record at the Wimbledon Championships, where she has never made it past the second round.
27th seed Anastasia Potapova arrived at SW19 looking to build on her strong momentum from the clay-court swing, highlighted by her victory over defending champion Coco Gauff at the French Open. However, the Russian-born Austrian, who had recently been dealing with a neck issue, suffered a 6-2, 6-3 defeat to Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro.
Ann Li fell agonizingly short against Zeynep Sönmez in a hard-fought battle, losing 5-7, 6-1, 4-6. Sönmez won the key points in a tight third set against the 28th seed to clinch her spot in the second round.
