Gauff, Pegula, Zverev, Musetti among top-ranked casualties
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTA shocking 23 of the 64 seeds have been eliminated in the opening round at Wimbledon these past two days – 13 on the men’s side and 10 on the women’s – tying the most at any Grand Slam since the majors began seeding 32 players in 2001.
‘Carnage’ is how former world No.1 Andy Roddick described it on his latest podcast episode.
That number could go up to 24 if the 29th-seeded Brandon Nakashima doesn’t win his first round against Bu Yunchaokete, which was suspended with Nakashima leading by two sets to one.
Four top-10-seeded men were sent packing, with No.3 Alexander Zverev leading the exodus by falling to France’s Arthur Rinderknech 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 in a clash that was completed across two days on Centre Court.
“I think generally he played a fantastic match. I'm not sure he's ever played a match like that in his life,” said Zverev after his loss, before detailing the mental struggles and feelings of loneliness he’s been experiencing recently on tour.
Last year’s semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti, the No.7 seed, lost 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, who is ranked 126 in the world and hadn’t won a Grand Slam main draw match in three years before his big upset on Tuesday.
Musetti was unable to play any warmup events on grass this season due to a left leg injury he picked up at Roland-Garros that sidelined him between both majors.
Denmark’s Holger Rune blamed a knee injury for his 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Chile’s Nicolas Jarry.
“If I play normal, I'm beating him nine out of 10 times, with all respect for Nicolas Jarry. Obviously today didn't make it a lot easier with my knee, but yeah, it was not great,” said the No.8 seed.
Meanwhile, ninth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, who was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon the last two years was stunned by France’s Benjamin Bonzi 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2.
Medvedev admitted he may have underestimated his opponent heading into the match.
“I’m surprised by his level. I know that he can play well. But I would be surprised if you find a match of him playing like this any other match this year. I'm surprised he did today. But it can happen. That's when sensations happen,” said the former US Open champion.
Seeded men who lost in the Wimbledon first round:
No.3 Zverev, No.7 Musetti, No.8 Rune, No.9 Medvedev, No.16 Cerundolo, No.18 Humbert, No.20 Popyrin, No.24 Tsitsipas, No.27 Shapovalov, No.28 Bublik, No.30 Michelsen, No.31 Griekspoor, No.32 Berrettini
On the women’s side, reigning Roland-Garros champion and Wimbledon No.2 seed Coco Gauff was sent packing by Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, while last week’s Bad Homburg winner Jessica Pegula, the No.3 seed, fell to Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen and ninth-seeded Paula Badosa were also eliminated.
“I feel like historically Wimbledon always has so many upsets in first rounds here, to be honest. I think it's always a topic,” said Gauff on Tuesday when asked to explain the reasons behind such a high number of seeded casualties.
“I think I would say really the quick turnaround, most of the seeds are going deeper in Roland-Garros, and then you spend like a long clay season, and then you have to come and try to adjust to grass.
“Some people play the week before, but it's like you come here – I think Jess won on Saturday. She's lucky that she was on this side of the draw to play on Tuesday. It's not the easy, quick turnaround.
“Then if you go deep in Roland-Garros, you're debating on do I rush and play that week, or do I take time and play the week before? It's a tricky thing.
“It seems like Carlos and Novak are the ones to figure it out. Even Carlos had a tough first-round match.
“I think this Slam out of all of them is the most prone to have upsets because of how quick the turnaround is from clay.”
Like Zverev and Medvedev, Pegula felt like her opponent played lights-out tennis against her to advance in straight sets.
“She played absolutely incredible tennis. Do I think I played the best match ever? No, but I definitely don't think I was playing bad,” said Pegula, who just on Saturday had defeated Iga Swiatek in the Bad Homburg final.
Many of the fallen seeds did indeed face peaking opponents, who were playing with the freedom typically associated with being an underdog and capitalised on the first-round nerves everyone experiences at the majors.
Roddick said on his podcast the slew of upsets was mostly about the grass, more than anything else.
“I think it's more surface than it is these players freaking out or not knowing what to do because they're a little nervy,” said the American.
Former world No.3 Maria Sakkari noted that the depth in both the men’s and women’s game is why we’re witnessing such results.
“The level, I think, men and women is just so high right now,” said the Greek, who punched her ticket to the second round with a straight-sets victory over Anna Blinkova.
Sakkari acknowledged that it may seem weird that so many seeded men have exited the tournament but she sees it as a natural evolution of the game.
“The guys that beat those guys are good. They're not nobodies. They're very, very good players,” she added.
“Of course, you have some very, very good players at the top. But I think everyone plays very good right now. Because everything has changed. The way they practice, the way they train in the gym and everything. So the competition is very high.”
Seeded women who lost in the Wimbledon first round:
No.2 Gauff, No.3 Pegula, No.5 Zheng, No.9 Badosa, No.15 Muchova, No.20 Ostapenko, No.25 Frech, No.26 Kostyuk, No.27 Linette, No.32 Kessler
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
