American fourth seed Ben Shelton was eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon by Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in a five-set match on June 30.
Shelton, the world No. 5, lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(9) after four hours and 21 minutes on Court 2. Virtanen saved a match point in the final tie-break before securing the victory with his first career win over a top-10 player.
During the third set Shelton struck a ball boy with a 146 mph serve. He immediately checked on the boy, who confirmed he was unhurt, and play resumed without delay.
Virtanen, ranked No. 137, reached the main draw through qualifying and described the win as the biggest of his career. He will next face Arthur Fery.
Shelton had reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open earlier this year but has since exited early at several Masters 1000 events and the French Open.
