Wimbledon 2025: Rinderknech stuns Zverev in five sets, Fritz beats Mpetshi Perricard

London, July 1 (IANS) The All-England Club continued to be rocked by upsets on the second successive day with Arthur Rinderknech of France stunning third seed Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller to reach the men's singles second round of Wimbledon 2025 here on Tuesday. Rinderknech overcame Zverev 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 in a first-round match to earn his first Top 5 win.

The Frenchman and German were locked at one-set-all when play was suspended on Monday night due to the 11 p.m. Wimbledon curfew. When play resumed on Tuesday with the roof open, Rinderknech came out firing to reel off the third set before he recovered from squandering a 5/3 lead in the fourth-set tie-break to win in four hours and 44 minutes.

Rinderknech sealed victory on his third match point when he fired a backhand winner — one of the 79 he hit in the match — crosscourt. The World No. 72 collapsed to the ground and then returned to his feet to embrace the roars from the Centre Court Crowd.

Zverev entered the clash holding a 6-2 record on grass this year, reaching the title match in Stuttgart and the semi-finals in Halle. Yet he was unable to move Rinderknech enough in the majority of the baseline exchanges.

The 29-year-old Rinderknech, who upset World No. 10 Ben Shelton at The Queen’s Club earlier this month, outlasted Zverev in the rallies and was sharp when moving forward, pressurising the German with his clean net play.

Rinderknech, who won 80 per cent (44/55) of his net points, will try to reach the third round at Wimbledon for the first time when he meets Cristian Garin in the second round.

Zverev’s wait for a first major title goes on. The German is the fourth Top 10 player to fall at this year’s Championships, joining Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev.

Meanwhile, on No. 1 Court, Taylor Fritz completed his comeback against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to survive a tough battle.

Like Rinderknech's match with Zverev, play was suspended on Monday night due to the Wimbledon curfew, with the scores level at 6-7(6), 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(6). Fritz had rallied from 1/5 in the fourth-set tie-break to force a decider, and with the roof open, used that momentum on Tuesday to triumph in the final set 6-4.

The fifth-seeded American, who is now 13-11 in fifth sets, arrived in London on Saturday night after winning his fourth Eastbourne title. Fritz will try to earn his 10th win of the grass-court season against 's-Hertogenbosch champion Gabriel Diallo on Wednesday.

--IANS

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