British wildcard Ryan Peniston says he hopes his family will be “very proud” of his journey from surviving a rare cancer to earning a Queen’s win over French Open finalist Casper Ruud.
Peniston, 26, marked his ATP Tour main draw debut with a 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2) victory over the Norwegian top seed.
He was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma – a soft tissue tumour – at the age of one, needing chemotherapy and surgery over 18 months before recovering.
“Standing here today feels pretty good,” he said after the biggest win of his career.
British men’s number seven Peniston is ranked 180th in the world – 175 places below Ruud – and the stunning win came on the same day he was given a wildcard for Wimbledon.
“It was definitely a difficult start to my life,” said the left hander.
“I don’t remember much but from my parents and my brothers I think it must have been a pretty tough time.
“I hope I made them proud and I am sure it will be a little bit emotional for them, for me as well.”
Later on Tuesday, Dan Evans lost his first-round match against defending champion Matteo Berrettini.
The British men’s number two was beaten 6-3 6-3 by the Italian, who was the Wimbledon runner-up last year.
Berrettini beat Andy Murray to win the Stuttgart title on Sunday and continued his fine form on the grass.
Evans’ defeat means Peniston and 20-year-old Jack Draper are the only Britons to reach the second round of the west London tournament.
Qualifier Paul Jubb, making his ATP 500 debut, pushed world number 29 Botic van de Zandschulp close before the Dutchman rallied to win 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-1.
Peniston earns biggest win after an anxious sleep
Peniston sealed victory when Ruud hit a first-serve return into the net, sparking jubilant celebrations for him and the home support.
“I can’t really believe it, it feels like a dream,” said Peniston, who meets Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the second round.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night thinking about the match. It doesn’t feel real.”
Ruud, 23, reached a career-high ranking of five after his run to the Roland Garros final, where he lost to Spain’s Rafael Nadal.
Grass is not the Norwegian’s favoured surface, and he once joked it was for playing golf and not tennis.
Peniston, who spent four years learning his craft at the University of Memphis between 2014 and 2018 before turning professional, is more adept on the grass courts and it showed as he refused to let Ruud settle.
In the run-up to Queen’s, Peniston reached the quarter-finals at Challenger events in Surbiton and Nottingham.
He looked relatively comfortable on serve in the first set, not facing a break point until the 12th game, when he was helped by a slip by Ruud.
Ruud needed treatment on his upper leg at the end of the set but did not look too impaired when he returned to court.
Another tight set saw the pair exchange breaks of serve midway through, before Peniston dominated the tie-break.
“I’ve been playing well – obviously Casper is an unreal player and did so well in the French Open, so I knew it was a tough ask,” he said.
“But you have to step on the court thinking you have a chance to win and that’s what I did. That’s all I could do.
“It’s a bit surreal because four or five years ago I was sat over there watching this tournament.”
