Chris Rodesch Qualifies for Wimbledon

LONDON – Virginia men’s tennis alum Chris Rodesch ’24 has earned a spot in the main draw of Gentlemen’s Singles at the Wimbledon Championships, being held Monday, June 30 through Sunday, July 13 at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club in London, England.

Rodesch, currently ranked No. 163 in the world, earned his position in the main draw by winning three matches in the qualifying tournament, held June 23-26 at the Community Sport Centre Roehampton.

Rodesch faced No. 134 Matteo Gigante in the opening round of qualifying, taking out the No. 23 seed 6-2, 6-4. He defeated Mark Lajal No. 167, 6-1, 6-3 in the second round to advance to his first career Grand Slam qualifying final. Rodesch faced the qualifier’s top seed, Marton Fucsovics, in the final. Rodesch won the first two sets 6-3, 6-4, before dropping the third set 6-0. The fourth set was tied 6-6, forcing a tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was tied 4-4 before Rodesch won the final three points to take the breaker 7-4 and the match 6-3, 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (4).

This will be Rodesch’s first time appearing in a Grand Slam. Rodesch competed in qualifying for the French Open in May, but fell in the opening round.

Rodesch has won seven professional titles, including winning his first career Challenger-level tournament in Tallahassee in April.

This is the 34th Wimbledon main draw appearance for the Virginia men’s tennis program. Rodesch becomes the 10th different Cavalier to play in the Wimbledon men’s main draw.

During his four-year Cavalier career ending in 2024, Rodesch was a three-time ITA Singles All-American. He finished his career with a 94-27 record in singles and a 59-26 mark in doubles, helping to lead the Cavaliers to two NCAA titles, three ACC Championships and a perfect 48-0 record in regular-season ACC matches. He was also a three-time All-ACC First Team honoree and earned the conference’s scholar-athlete of the year award twice.