It was a statement performance on the Wimbledon lawns: Arthur Rinderknech, seeded 25th, defeated American rising star Martin Damm Jr. 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 to cruise into the third round. In two hours and three minutes, the Frenchman from Gassin gave his opponent virtually no room to breathe — and did not drop a single service game throughout.
Early break sets the blueprint for the entire match
Rinderknech sent the right message from the very first game. He broke Damm's serve immediately to set the platform for a controlled first set, which he claimed 6-4. The same pattern repeated itself in the third set: once again a break in the American's opening service game, once again no way back for Damm, who fell 6-3. The second set was more evenly contested and forced a tiebreak — but even there Rinderknech showed no nerves whatsoever. He swept through it 7-1, winning his third consecutive tiebreak of the tournament. The statistics underscored his dominance: 19 aces, just twelve unforced errors, and a first-serve points-won rate of 79 percent — figures that look almost untouchable on grass.
Damm powerless despite impressive career trajectory
Martin Damm Jr. had arrived with genuine credentials. The American had climbed more than 400 places in the ATP rankings in the space of a single year, entering the tournament at world No. 106, and Wimbledon 2026 marked his very first Grand Slam main-draw appearance. That he finished the match with ten aces and 36 winners suggests the scoreline was perhaps slightly flattering to Rinderknech — and points to the newcomer's real potential. Yet against Rinderknech's impeccable serve, he found no answers: Damm failed to win a single return game and could not convert a single break point.
Curiously, their head-to-head history had favoured the American: in their only previous meeting, at the Bordeaux Challenger on clay in May 2026, Damm had beaten Rinderknech in straight sets. But grass is a different world entirely — and it is a surface Rinderknech calls home, as his Challenger title in Nottingham the previous year had already demonstrated.
Ranking points defended, eyes on what comes next
For Rinderknech, the match also had an important ATP ranking dimension: a third-round run at Wimbledon 2025 had yielded valuable points that needed defending in 2026. With this convincing victory, that obligation has been met. His career-high ranking of No. 24, reached in May 2026, is now back within reach. In the third round, the Frenchman will face the winner of the clash between Roberto Bautista Agut and Alex De Minaur — a considerably sterner test awaits.
