Chaos unfolded at Wimbledon on Monday night as organisers paused Taylor Fritz’s first-round match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard with 40 minutes remaining before the tournament’s curfew. The decision left the No. 4 seed visibly frustrated and prompted boos from the Court 1 crowd. 

Fritz, fresh off title wins at the Boss Open and Eastbourne, was building momentum after recovering from two sets down. He came back from 1-5 in the fourth-set tie-breaker, winning seven of the next eight points to force a deciding fifth set. 

However, the match was paused with the chair umpire announcing: "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the late time of the day, we will not be able to finish the match. Therefore, the match will be suspended until tomorrow. Play is suspended."

Under the All England Club’s agreement with Merton Council, play must end by 11 p.m. But the call to halt the match came while there was still 40 minutes left on the clock. Over at Centre Court, the last match of the day between Alexander Zverev and Arthur Rinderknech was also paused at 10:54 p.m.

Commentator Todd Woodbridge said, "Well, if I was Taylor Fritz, I'd want to keep going here, try to keep the momentum." Co-commentator Ronald McIntosh noted that the pause could benefit Perricard, saying it would allow him to "regroup, refuel, rehydrate, rest and to come back tomorrow for what is effectively a one-set shootout."

Fritz will resume the decider on Tuesday as he seeks to advance at Wimbledon 2025.