Alexei Popyrin suffered a shock early exit from Wimbledon, falling to world No 461 Arthur Fery in one of the biggest upsets of the opening day. Seeded 20th and widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading hopes behind Alex de Minaur, Popyrin was beaten 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 by the little-known British wildcard. It was a humbling defeat on a sun-soaked Court 15, where Fery, a 22-year-old London native with family ties to the All England Club, used the local support to his full advantage.
Popyrin, known for his powerful serve, had shown promise with a fourth-round run at the French Open, but consistency has long been a challenge. Against Fery, he never found rhythm early and quickly fell behind two sets. Although he clawed one set back, the damage was already done, and Fery held firm to seal a memorable win.
The loss was part of a rough start for the Australian contingent, which had sent its largest group to Wimbledon in three decades. Early in the day, Kim Birrell became the first player to exit in a completed match, losing 6-0, 6-4 to last year’s semi-finalist Donna Vekic. Olivia Gadecki also bowed out despite a valiant fight, saving five match points before losing 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) to Argentina’s Solana Sierra.
Chris O’Connell had little joy against French veteran Adrian Mannarino, going down in straight sets. Ajla Tomljanovic, who had returned to fitness just in time for the tournament, lost in three sets to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a match that ran late into the evening.
Despite the gloom, Jordan Thompson provided a rare bright spot. The 31-year-old staged a stirring comeback from two sets down to defeat Czech player Vit Kopriva in five sets. Thompson, who had been battling back issues in the build-up to the tournament, dug deep to win 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 in what was his third straight Wimbledon comeback from two sets down. However, concerns remain over his fitness ahead of a second-round clash with Benjamin Bonzi, who himself caused a surprise by eliminating Daniil Medvedev.
There were near-misses for others. James Duckworth pushed 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to five sets before succumbing in a tight decider, while young qualifier Talia Gibson gave Naomi Osaka a scare, twice serving for the second set but ultimately falling 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
It was a sobering day for the Australians, with only Thompson’s spirited fightback standing between the team and a total first-day wipeout.
