Kwon Soon-woo wins 1st-round match at Wimbledon

Kwon Soon-woo returns the ball to Spain's Martin Landaluce during their men's singles first round tennis match on the first day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, June 29. AFP-Yonhap

Kwon Soon-woo has marked his return to Wimbledon with an opening-round victory.

The South Korean defeated Martin Landaluce of Spain in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, to begin the men's singles competition at All England Lawn Tennis Club in London on Monday (local time).

Kwon, world No. 200, had to win three qualifying matches to get to the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was his first Wimbledon appearance since losing in the first round in 2024. Kwon's previous Wimbledon victory had come in the first round of the 2021 event.

Kwon once ranked as high as 52nd in the world but injuries have since derailed his career. He is currently fulfilling his military duty with the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps.

Kwon has shown some signs of a bounceback this year, winning three tournaments on the second-tier Challenger Tour and qualifying for Wimbledon.

In Monday's match, Kwon put down 18 winners against just nine by Landaluce and broke him once in the first set. Then in the second set, Kwon converted both of his break points and capitalized on eight unforced errors by his opponent.

Landaluce was even shakier in the third set, as he was charged with 13 unforced errors, while Kwon made only two.

In the second round, Kwon will face Tommy Paul, the 25th-ranked American. Paul prevailed in their only previous meeting in 2022.