British qualifier Oliver Tarvet enjoyed a dream Wimbledon debut as he saw off Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi 6-4 6-4 6-4 to reach the second round.
Tarvet, 21, is ranked 733rd in the world and came through three rounds of qualifying to secure his place in the main draw – the first British man to achieve that since 2017.
His underdog story ensured there was plenty of interest in his match on court four as spectators crowded around the edges for the match against fellow qualifier Riedi, who is ranked 506th in the world but was 117th as recently as August last year.
There was little to separate the two in a tight opening few games but Tarvet got the crucial break in the ninth before holding on his serve to take the first set.
Tarvet’s momentum continued as he broke Riedi early in the second, with his Swiss opponent growing increasingly frustrated as he struggled to find a way through the Briton’s serve on his way to losing the second set.
Then, after more than two hours of tennis played in temperatures over 30C, Riedi sent a shot long at 30-40 down on his serve to hand Tarvet the decisive break in third set.
He then closed out the match with the crowd on their feet as he sealed a superb victory and a place in round two.
