"Mai" Mananchaya made a sensational upset by defeating the world No. 21 to advance to the second round of Wimbledon 2026, setting a major record following two previous Thai players.
On 29 Jun 2026 GMT+7, at the Wimbledon 2026 Grand Slam tournament in England, in the women's singles main draw first round, "Mai" Mananchaya Sawangkaew, ranked No. 164 in the world and having passed three qualifying rounds, faced Semya Schwalinska, the world No. 21 and 20th seed from Poland, who was the runner-up at the French Open women's singles.
In the opening set, "Mai" Mananchaya Sawangkaew lost 2-6, but then won the second set 7-5 and the third set 6-2. The match concluded with Mananchaya defeating Semya Schwalinska 2-1 sets (2-6, 7-5, 6-2) over a total duration of 2 hours and 41 minutes.
This victory propelled "Mai" Mananchaya Sawangkaew into the second round to face the winner between Alicia Parks of the United States, ranked 81st, and Alicia Dudeney, the British wildcard ranked 245th. This match marks the highest-ranked opponent Mai has defeated, with a 144-rank difference. Additionally, it is her first time reaching the second round of a Grand Slam and makes her the third Thai female tennis player to do so, following Tamarine Tanasugarn and Luksika Kumkhum.