Wimbledon 2024: Shelton and Tiafoe earn comeback wins; Pegula and Gauff cruise
Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe both earned comeback, five-set wins to open their Wimbledon singles campaigns, while it was smooth sailing for top-ranked American women Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
All told, 15 Americans advanced to the second round at the All England Club. Other winners included: Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Robin Montgomery, Bernarda Pera, Brandon Nakashima, Marcos Giron and Katie Volynets.
Great escapes for Shelton, Tiafoe
Shelton picked up the 50th singles win of his professional career with a 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision against Italy's Mattia Bellucci on Monday. The 21-year-old hit 19 aces and saved 12 of 14 break points to advance to the Wimbledon second round for the second straight year; he also notched a five-set victory against Taro Daniel in his 2023 debut.
The 14th-seeded American will face South Africa's Lloyd Harris on Wednesday as he bids to reach the third round for the first time at the London major—and for the third time in three Slams played in 2024.
Tiafoe also came from behind to beat an Italian on Monday, rallying from two sets down to beat Matteo Arnaldi, 6-7(5), 2-6, 6-1,6-3, 6-3. The American was an efficient seven-of-11 on break points and will face Borna Coric in the second round.
The fan favorite is fighting to turn around a difficult season in which he has dropped to world No. 29, from a high of No. 10 last June.
"It’s brutal. Highs and lows," Tiafoe said of his slump. "Think about where I’m at. Literally this week last year I was 10 in the world and now I’m barely seeded here."
He later added: "But it’s the game. It’s like anything—nothing is peaches and cream all the time, right? It’s about how fast you can kind of get out of that."
Gauff, Pegula ease through openers
Gauff, who rose to a career high of world No. 2 last month, began her Wimbledon campaign with authority. One year after suffering a shock first-round defeat to Sofia Kenin, the 20-year-old was a 6-1, 6-2 winner against countrywoman Caroline Dolehide on Monday.
"Playing freely, it just feels fun," said Gauff, who will meet Romanian Anca Todoni on Wednesday. "You feel like no matter what you do, it's going to be right. That's what I felt like today.
"I was very nervous going into today. Obviously there's some times when you do bad at a tournament, you let those same feelings creep in. Last year I lost in the first round and it was very tough for me."
Pegula also dominated an all-American matchup, beating Ashlyn Krueger, 6-2, 6-0, to set up a second-round meeting with China's Wang Xinyu. The fifth seed reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last season and entered this year's event full of confidence after winning her first grass title last month in Berlin.
Continuing the trend of straightforward wins for American women, Keys, Stephens and Montgomery all advanced in straight sets, with Keys pushed to a second-set tiebreak by Martina Trevisan. Pera took the long road to the second round, edging Anastasia Potapova, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(10-6).
The conclusion of the singles opening round and the start of the second round are slated for Wednesday at the All England Club. For the complete order of play, draws and more, visit the official Wimbledon website.
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