Wimbledon 2024: Shelton and Tiafoe earn comeback wins; Pegula and Gauff cruise

Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe both earned comeback, five-set wins to open their Wimbledon singles campaigns, while it was smooth sailing for top-ranked American women Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.

All told, 15 Americans advanced to the second round at the All England Club. Other winners included: Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Robin Montgomery, Bernarda Pera, Brandon Nakashima, Marcos Giron and Katie Volynets.

Great escapes for Shelton, Tiafoe

Shelton picked up the 50th singles win of his professional career with a 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision against Italy's Mattia Bellucci on Monday. The 21-year-old hit 19 aces and saved 12 of 14 break points to advance to the Wimbledon second round for the second straight year; he also notched a five-set victory against Taro Daniel in his 2023 debut.

The 14th-seeded American will face South Africa's Lloyd Harris on Wednesday as he bids to reach the third round for the first time at the London major—and for the third time in three Slams played in 2024.

Tiafoe also came from behind to beat an Italian on Monday, rallying from two sets down to beat Matteo Arnaldi, 6-7(5), 2-6, 6-1,6-3, 6-3. The American was an efficient seven-of-11 on break points and will face Borna Coric in the second round.

Pegula also dominated an all-American matchup, beating Ashlyn Krueger, 6-2, 6-0, to set up a second-round meeting with China's Wang Xinyu. The fifth seed reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last season and entered this year's event full of confidence after winning her first grass title last month in Berlin.

Continuing the trend of straightforward wins for American women, Keys, Stephens and Montgomery all advanced in straight sets, with Keys pushed to a second-set tiebreak by Martina Trevisan. Pera took the long road to the second round, edging Anastasia Potapova, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(10-6).

The conclusion of the singles opening round and the start of the second round are slated for Wednesday at the All England Club. For the complete order of play, draws and more, visit the official Wimbledon website.