WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Spain’s Fernando Verdasco has lost to Italian Fabio Fognini in a first-round upset at Wimbledon.
The eighth-seeded Verdasco was beaten 7-6 (9), 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4 by the 80th-ranked Fognini.
It is the earliest exit for the Spaniard in a major since bowing out in the first round of the French Open in 2005. He was playing in his 29th consecutive Grand Slam.
It is also the first time Verdasco has not played on grass in the lead-up to this event. The 2009 Australian Open semifinalist had made the round of 16 at the All England Club in three of the past four years.