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Wimbledon: Virtanen Saves Match-point To Stun Shelton In Five-set Thriller In First Round
All England Club: Otto Virtanen dug deep as he saved a match point to stun fourth seed Ben Shelton in a five-set thriller in a first-round clash and registered the biggest shock of 2026 Wimbledon so far at the All England Club on Tuesday afternoon.
The No. 140 player in the ATP Rankings, Virtanen prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9) in a four-hour, 21-minute battle on No. 2 Court. The Finn saved the match point at 8/9 in the 10-point deciding tie-break, before converting his first after Shelton fired a forehand wide.
“I don’t know if I have a heart anymore,” Virtanen joked when asked in his on-court interview about dealing with the late-match tension. “But I’m here and played until the last point… I had a great month before this. I played a lot of grass matches. I always enjoyed playing here. Last year, unfortunately, I got an injury [and couldn’t play], but I always have a great time here.”
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