Swiatek battles past Townsend, Shelton exits early – Fils returns with a win

London – 01.07.2026: The second day at Wimbledon brought early drama and a major surprise. Defending champion Iga Swiatek survived her opening test against Taylor Townsend after an erratic match, winning 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. The Pole dominated early with a clear rhythm, lost her way in the second set and in the deciding set had to regain control of her serve despite nine double faults. In the closing stages she kept a cool head and edged the decisive rallies—narrowly but consistently—in her favor. For the title defense it is a passed early test, albeit without shine.

On the men’s side one of the contenders was caught out: Ben Shelton, seeded fourth and last year’s quarterfinalist, lost to Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in five sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-6 (9). Shelton failed to find a consistent answer to Virtanen’s heavy backhand and solid serving phases. In the fifth-set tiebreak he squandered chances to put the match away, while Virtanen took the few openings he was given without mercy. The American’s exit opens up unexpected possibilities early on in his section of the draw.

From a French perspective Arthur Fils was the bright spot. After an injury-enforced break the 20-year-old returned with a convincing 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 win over Raphaël Collignon. Fils varied pace and height cleverly, hunted the point early and stayed composed in tight moments. The performance suggests his movement on grass is back and that he has room to move up in the next round.

The day was less fortunate for Ugo Humbert. The Davis Cup player lost to Belgian Zizou Bergs in five sets (6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3). After a strong start Humbert lost depth on his groundstrokes, had to rely more often on second serves and missed several break chances in the fourth set. Bergs turned the momentum with patient rallies and secured the final set with late breaks.

The tournament’s start therefore paints a mixed picture: Swiatek remains on course despite wobbling, Virtanen has produced the first big shake-up in the men’s draw, and Fils has delivered the hoped-for spark for the French contingent. In the coming days the schedule on Centre Court is likely to become tighter, especially since weather-related delays on grass can occur at any time—a factor that was already noticeable on the second day and can shorten recovery windows between matches.