Kazakh tennis player Timofey Skatov (176) defeated Argentine Alex Barrena (207) 6:3, 7:6 (7:4) in the first round of the Wimbledon 2026 qualifying tournament. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The match on Court 12 at Wimbledon started well for Skatov. He won 10 of the first 11 points. After breaking in the second game, the Kazakh player did not allow his opponent to recover – 6:3.
In the second set, both players held serve confidently, leading to a tiebreak. Skatov took a 4:0 lead in the tiebreak. Barrena fought hard to reduce the deficit to 4:3, but Skatov closed out the set and the match. 6:3, 7:6 (7:4) in 1 hour 46 minutes.
At the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, Roland Garros 2026, Skatov also tried to qualify for the main draw but lost in the first round to American Darwin Blanch (229) – 1:6, 2:6.
In the second round of qualifying, Skatov will face either Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili (112) or Swedish Elias Ymer (185).
In the main draw of Wimbledon, Kazakhstan will be represented by Elena Rybakina (2), Anna Danilina (6), Alexander Bublik (11), Yulia Putintseva (85), and Alexander Shevchenko (98). The singles draw will take place on June 26.
The draws for doubles, mixed doubles, and junior tournaments involving Kazakh players will be announced later.
The Wimbledon Championships 2026 will be held in London from June 29 to July 12. It is the third Grand Slam of the season and the only one on grass.
The prize fund is £64.2 million (up 20% from last year). Singles champions will receive £3.6 million, and runners-up £1.8 million.
The main draw of Wimbledon, like the other three majors, includes 128 players in singles, 64 pairs in doubles, and 32 pairs in mixed doubles.
The reigning Wimbledon champions are Italian Jannik Sinner (1) and Iga Swiatek (3) of Poland.