LONDON (Reuters) – Russian sixth-seed Andrey Rublev crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round on Tuesday, losing 6-4 5-7 6-2 7-6(5) to world No.122 Francisco Comesana of Argentina, playing his first ever match at a Grand Slam and his first on the men’s Tour.
Comesana belied his lack of experience, playing with poise and control from the start. The 23-year-old broke his opponent for a 3-2 lead in the first set and then held to win it, much to the frustration of Rublev, who frequently screamed out loud and remonstrated with his courtside coaching team.
Rublev broke early in the second and began to assert himself, frequently wrong-footing Comesana or drawing him into long rallies and overpowering him with powerful forehand shots.
Comesana fought his way back from three set points down twice in the second set before losing it.
But the Argentinian, who fired down 21 aces in all, powered through the rain-interrupted third set and narrowly outdid Rublev for guile and accuracy in the fourth before drawing an unforced error from the Russian to finish the match in style.
(Reporting by Hugh Lawson; Editing by Alison Williams)
