(Tennis news) After rallying to win the fourth set in a tiebreak and force a deciding, Taylor Fritz was upset when his Wimbledon first-round match was postponed.  When he lost the first two sets to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Court 1 beneath the roof, the No. 4 seed was in jeopardy.

 As the 11 p.m. curfew drew near, he won the third set and then rallied from a 1-5 disadvantage in the fourth set tiebreak, but he lost 8-6. The supervisor then arrived on the court to speak with both players.  Both men left the Wimbledon second-biggest showcourt to return on Tuesday after officials opted to postpone the match without beginning the fifth set.

The All England Club has an arrangement with the local Merton Council that requires play to end at 11 p.m. every night.  However, more than 40 minutes before the regulation was supposed to take effect, Fritz v. Mpetshi Perricard was stopped.

The match between Alexander Zverev and Arthur Rinderknech was also halted since they ended the second set at 10.55 p.m. with one set each.

Fritz, a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, appeared to be the most recent seeded player to lose in an upset on the opening day of the Championships.  However, the previous Eastbourne champion made an incredible return, and all of a sudden, the match was tied at 6-7 6-7 6-4 7-6.

The supervisor arrived to the court and gathered the two players around the net to talk about the time limit, even though Fritz was sitting at his bench for the end-of-set changeover.

 Aware that their time would be up, fans on Court 1 began jeering as soon as they saw the supervisor.  Furthermore, Fritz didn’t appear to be very happy.

“Well, if I was Taylor Fritz, I’d want to keep going here, try to keep the momentum. It’s just gone 10.15pm, the curfew is at 11. If it’s a long set there’s a chance they might have to come off at 5-5 potentially. Would you want to do that? That’s what they’re weighing up,” commentator Todd Woodbridge said.

Co-commentator Ronald McIntosh reminded viewers that three of the four sets had been tiebreaks, lasting between 44 to 48 minutes, while Woodbridge pointed out: “While we’re having this conversation we could’ve had two service games, the way they serve.”

McIntosh knew the fans weren’t happy, with the boos growing as talks continued and it became evident that no more tennis would be played. “Not what the crowd in attendance here on No. 1 Court want to happen,” he said.

“But a big decision about to be made here because as we pointed out in commentary, the momentum very much in favour of Taylor Fritz. I’m sure Mpetshi Perricard would love the opportunity to regroup, refuel, rehydrate, rest and to come back tomorrow for what is effectively a one-set shootout.”

Also read: Wimbledon 2025: Jack Draper will play Sebastian Baez