Wimbledon 2026 LIVE: Latest scores, results and order of play as Serena Williams returns as Ben Shelton crashes out in major upset

Elena Rybakina survives a scare against Lois Boisson, the Frenchwoman who enjoyed a remarkable run to the Roland Garros semi-finals as a wildcard last year.

Boisson was dangerous, forcing a third set, and Rybakina benefitted from the Frenchwoman slipping in the third set and requiring a medical timeout.

Rybakina’s serve got through it. She wins 6-4 1-6 6-3 and the second seed advances.

Ben Shelton reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year and had a real opportunity to progress and landing in the opposite side of the draw to both Jannik Sinner, who beat him last year, and Novak Djokovic.

Otto Virtanen, meanwhile, will play British wildcard Arthur Fery in the second round. That’s an excellent opportunity for both players to reach the third round of a grand slam for the first time.

A major upset on Court No 2 as qualifier Otto Virtanen knocks out fourth seed Ben Shelton in a match tiebreak!

Shelton had match point himself, but found the net. Virtanen survived, then won the match himself when Shelton put a forehand long. Virtanen wins 6-3 3-6 6-7 6-2 7-6 (11-9) in the upset of the tournament so far.

Shelton was an outside contender in the wide-open bottom half of the draw. Virtanen continues his run from qualifying with his fourth win in a row at SW19!

The 20-year-old Australian is currently ranked 87th in the world, with a career-high ranking of 28, but has lost her last 11 tour-level matches.

A former champion on grass at Eastbourne last year, Joint is making just her second appearance at Wimbledon having yet to make it past the first round, while she has only reached the second round of a grand slam on one occasion.

She was born in 2006, when Williams was already a seven-time grand slam champion. The American won a further 16 grand slam titles in her lifetime.

That’s a lovely win for Jacob Fearney, who prevails from two sets down to beat Alex Michelsen 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-2.

After breaking into the top 50 after a rapid rise a couple of years ago, and taking a set off Novak Djokovic on Centre Court, backing up his breakthrough has been a struggle for the 24-year-old Scot.

Before Wimbledon, he had won only two matches on tour during an injury-hit season and he has dropped out of the top 100. This is a boost to his confidence.

Williams will play her first-round match against Maya Joint, the world No 53, on Tuesday 30 July. It will be the final match of the day on Centre Court, following the defending champion Iga Swiatek and French Open champion Alexander Zverev’s opener against Alexander Blockx.

Swiatek’s match went to three sets and there will now be a best-of-five set match between Zverev and Blockx. Williams could be therefore be in action on Tuesday evening, at around 7pm BST (2pm ET).

The Pole won 6-1 2-6 6-3 in a little over two hours but for some time it looked like an upset was brewing on Centre Court. More here:

A hugely significant win for Swiatek. You can see what it means.

“I’m not sure if I’m able to talk that much. But it was a tough couple of weeks. Not a season where everything went how I wanted. I don’t think I won any three set match this year. I’m happy I could do it here. It means a lot opening the court as defending champion.”

Relief for the defending champion! Sealed with an ace!

Only two defending women’s champions had been knocked out in the first round. Taylor Townsend threatened making that three, as Swiatek’s serve and forehand fell apart in the second set.

But Swiatek steadied, saving four break points at the start of the third. From there, she battled on, showing resilience and grit to avoid the upset.

This clearly means a lot to Swiatek. The Polish player immediately covers her face in a towel, and appears to be sobbing in relief. Returning as champion brings pressure.

Iga Swiatek breaks! Taylor Townsend’s serve falls apart and Swiatek picks her off at the net with a forehand winner. The defending champion will now serve for the match, to avoid the upset.