Harriet Dart and Cam Norrie both lost on the first day of Wimbledon, and all 10 Britons who completed their matches were beaten. For British tennis, it was the worst day at Wimbledon this century, with Jack Pinnington Jones still left unfinished when light faded.
Harriet Dart on No 1 Court
Dart, ranked 152, lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to Jelena Ostapenko after twice going a break up in the final set. She had been told past 10pm on Sunday night that she would replace Emma Raducanu on No 1 Court.
The late switch left her with little time to reset, but she still pushed Ostapenko into a tight finish. Dart said, "We were both told, I think, past 10pm last night [about] the schedule change."
She also said, "The reality is I was up a break twice, but it’s a long way from the finish line." That was the sharpest detail in a match that swung both ways before Ostapenko closed it out.
Cam Norrie’s five-set loss
Norrie, the No 29 seed, fell 6-7, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 to Michael Zheng. The defeat landed harder because Norrie had been a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2022 and a quarter-finalist last year.
He said, "If I could have had a few more matches leading in, I think I can win this match." That line points to how close the match was after five sets and how thin the margin became at the end.
Zheng’s win completed another blow for the home players, with the opening day already turning into a clean sweep of defeats for Britons who finished. Jack Pinnington Jones was still on court against Brandon Nakashima when light faded, trailing by two sets and 4-3.
Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper had already pulled out through injury on Monday, so the first day never gave British tennis much room to build momentum. By nightfall, the scoreline told the story: 10 Britons in, 10 Britons beaten.
