Paul Jubb ‘gutted’ after blowing two-set lead in defeat in five-set thriller on mixed day for British men at Wimbledon… as Harriet Dart reaches round two in women’s draw

Paul Jubb admitted he was ‘gutted’ after blowing a two-set lead and a match point to become the latest Brit to fall in the first round at Wimbledon.

The world No 201 was on course for a breakthrough maiden win at SW19 when he comfortably took the opening two sets against Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild, who is ranked 127 places above him.

Jubb, raised on a Hull council estate by his grandmother after losing both his parents at a young age, even went a break ahead at the start of the third set, before having a match point in the tiebreak.

But after he succumbed 8-6 in the breaker to the most marginal of Hawk-Eye calls, the British No 8’s hopes of an upset faded away and he went down 1-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a match twice suspended due to rain.

For Jubb, 24, it was his second successive first-round defeat in five sets here, having been beaten by eventual finalist Nick Kyrgios in 2022. He also lost in the opening round on his debut in 2019 so was devastated after failing to break his Wimbledon duck yesterday.

Jubb said he was gutted and said his defeat was ‘brutal’ as he failed to progress to round two

‘That’s the main thing that’s kind of hanging over my head right now because I really wanted to tick that one off the list as one of my childhood dreams,’ said Jubb, the housemate of British No 1 Jack Draper. ‘Being one point away is brutal. I am just gutted.’

British teenager Henry Searle also put up a spirited fight before losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to American Marcos Giron.

Searle last year became the first British winner of the boys singles since Stanley Matthews, son of the great footballer.

Roared on by family and friends on Court 10, the 18-year-old started strongly but could not maintain his momentum.

British No 7 Jan Choinski lost a thriller against Italian debutant Luciano Darderi, going down 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Choinski, born to a Polish dad and English mum who met as ballet dancers in Germany, was left to rue two crucial moments in the fourth set.

The world No 174 squandered three break points at 1-1 before losing set point on serve just as the heavens opened.

‘After winning the second and the third set, I just felt like I had all the momentum on my side,’ said Choinski, 28. ‘Early in the fourth set, three break points in a row. Maybe if I won that game it could have changed the match, but that’s tennis.’

Billy Harris, the British No 5, was beaten 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 by Spain’s Jaume Munar.

Harriet Dart was the first British winner on day two of this year’s Wimbledon as she beat Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan

Dart produced a patient display to claim a 6-4 6-0 win to reach the second round at SW19

Harriet Dart was the first British winner on day two of this year’s Wimbledon after she produced an accomplished display to beat Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan in straight-sets.

First up on Court 18, Dart had to be patient against the world number 95 and survived an hour’s rain delay before she claimed a 6-4 6-0 win.

Victory set up a meeting with fellow Brit Katie Boulter, who swept aside Tatjana Maria 7-6, 7-5.

Britain’s Fran Jones is also out after falling 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 to Croatia’s Petra Martic.