Emotional Safiullin Relishes Another Wimbledon Upset

Roman Safiullin is back with a vengeance at Wimbledon in 2026. 

The 28-year-old upset 24th-seeded Joao Fonseca 6-3 6-3 6-3, after running through wins over No.12 seed Andrey Rublev and Botic Van de Zandschulp in five sets in his first two rounds. 

“After the US Open, I had to stop to treat my injury,” Safiullin told the crowd as he broke down in tears. “That time was super tough. Even half a year ago, I didn’t know whether I would be able to [come] back. I’m super happy to be back here.” 

The world No.132 (career-high No.36) now holds a 9-3 lifetime record at Wimbledon – he will face either Novak Djokovic or Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round. 

He had won three consecutive five-set matches, counting his victory final round of qualifying over Jerome Kym. 

Safiullin, who qualified for the quarterfinals on his Wimbledon debut in 2023, lost in the first round to Luciano Darderi. 

He saved all five break points he faced and hit 41 winners to 32 for Fonseca in the two hour and nine minute victory.

Making the Russian’s story even more remarkable is the fact that he had not won a tour-level match all season. He has competed mainly at challenger level since his return from a knee injury in February. He had not won a match since the 2025 US Open at tour-level.