Wimbledon 2025 witnessed a day of shocking upsets as several high-profile seeds crashed out in the early rounds, while World No. 1 Jannik Sinner remained composed and secured his place in the second round. The All England Club saw a record-tying number of seeded players fall, creating a "bonfire of seeds" that dramatically reshaped the landscape of the tournament.
Coco Gauff, the No. 2 seed and recent French Open champion, suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska. Yastremska's victory over Gauff was described as "the win of her career". Gauff lost 7-6(3), 6-1.
Adding to the list of upsets, No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev was ousted by France's Arthur Rinderknech in a grueling five-set match that extended over two days. Rinderknech, ranked 72nd, entered the match with a poor record at Wimbledon, making this victory a significant achievement. The final score was 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4.
No. 3 Jessica Pegula also faced an early exit, losing to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets. Pegula, who had just won a grass-court title in Germany, couldn't overcome the challenge posed by the 116th-ranked Cocciaretto, who won 6-2, 6-3.
The high number of seeded players falling in the first round equaled a Grand Slam record. In total, 23 seeds which included 13 men and 10 women, failed to advance to the second round. This matches the highest total at any Grand Slam since the introduction of 32 seeds in each singles bracket in 2001. Other notable upsets included No. 5 Zheng Qinwen and No. 15 Karolina Muchova. No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti also was defeated by Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Amidst the chaos, top seed Jannik Sinner remained unfazed, securing a straightforward victory against fellow Italian Luca Nardi. Sinner's calm and collected performance stood in stark contrast to the struggles of many other top players. Defending women's champion Barbora Krejcikova also advanced, overcoming a tough challenge to beat Alexandra Eala.
Other seeds, such as No. 4 Taylor Fritz, faced tough competition but managed to survive. Fritz was pushed to five sets by Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
The series of upsets on Day 2 at Wimbledon 2025 has created a buzz and opened up opportunities for lower-ranked players to make deep runs in the tournament.
