Ben Shelton carried the US hopes of producing the next Grand Slam winner into his opening-round clash against Otto Virtanen. But the Wimbledon campaign unraveled quickly. Despite lifting the Stuttgart Open title during this year’s grass-court swing, he fell to a Finnish qualifier. And the disappointment deepened when one of his serves accidentally struck a ball boy, turning the match into a nightmare.

During the third set of the match, the top-seeded American unleashed some massive 146 mph serves. One of those thunderous deliveries also led to an unexpected moment as a ball boy on Court 2 was struck by the ball.

The 23-year-old immediately checked on the ball boy after the incident as he quickly raised his hand and asked, “Are you OK?” The ball boy at the court assured the American that he was fine. Shelton then returned to the baseline, and the match resumed without further delay.

However, despite producing those huge serves, the 4th seed could not stop the upset. The 25-year-old qualifier battled back to produce the biggest shock of the 2026 SW19 so far.

The former world No. 91 saved a match point before defeating Ben in a dramatic five-set thriller. He won 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9) after 4 hours and 21 minutes.

Virtanen saved a match point at 8-9 in the deciding 10-point tie-break. Yet, he then converted his first match point after the seven-time ATP title winner sent a forehand wide.

And this defeat came as a major surprise, considering his run at last year’s Wimbledon. His performances at Masters 1000 events and Grand Slams this season have repeatedly fallen below expectations.

For instance, Ben Shelton reached the QF at the AO this year. However, after that, he exited in the R32 at Indian Wells, the R64 in Miami, Madrid, and Rome. Even at the French Open, Shelton’s campaign ended in the second round after the Belgian ace Raphael Collignon beat him in straight sets. 

Today’s loss at Wimbledon only added to what has been a frustrating season. Throughout the match, the Finnish qualifier repeatedly charged the net to pressure the American ace. The tactic worked perfectly at the end, and even after leading the deciding tie-break 8-5, Shelton could not finish the job on the opening day.

While Ben Shelton left disappointed and will fly home after the loss, the Finnish qualifier celebrated what will surely be remembered as the biggest victory of his career.

Otto Virtanen shared his thoughts after earning his first top-10 win of his career

The win over the American marked the biggest win of Otto Virtanen’s career, as before this match, he had never defeated a Top-20 opponent.

Virtanen earned his place in this year’s SW19 main draw by coming through qualifying in Roehampton last week. The win also created a piece of history for his country. Since the ATP Rankings were introduced, Virtanen has become the only Finnish player to defeat an ATP Top-10 opponent at the All-England Club.

And after the match, Virtanen, who played only the second time in the main draw at SW19, reflected on what the victory meant to him. “I had a great month before this one. I played a lot of grass matches. Always enjoyed playing here. Last year I unfortunately missed it due to injury. But two years ago I had a great time here. You know, it feels sooo good to be back here,” he added in his post-match interview.

The current world No. 137 was then asked about his heart rate after such an emotional win. “I don’t know if I have a heart anymore. It probably bounced out of my body, but I’m here. I played till the last moment because of you all,” he explained.

Next, Virtanen will face Arthur Fery, who earlier defeated Damir Džumhur to book his place in the second round.

Meanwhile, the American world No. 5’s campaign has come to a premature end. After failing to match last year’s QF run, there will now be greater focus on how Ben Shelton responds during the remainder of the season.