No. 2 Rybakina upset by Mertens in Wimbledon 3rd round

No. 2 Rybakina upset by Mertens in Wimbledon 3rd round

The women's draw at Wimbledon was blown wide open on Saturday as second seed Elena Rybakina and defending champion Iga Swiatek both crashed out in the third round.

Belgium's Elise Mertens, the No. 25 seed, dismantled Rybakina with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victory. Because Rybakina failed to reach at least the quarterfinals, Aryna Sabalenka will remain the women's world number one regardless of her own progress in the tournament. Prior to the grass-court Grand Slam, only 947 points separated Sabalenka and Rybakina.

Mertens seized control during the first-set tie-break. Rybakina struggled with her primary weapons, hitting only 42 percent of her first serves and failing to penetrate Mertens' serve. The second set was entirely dominant for the Belgian, who won nine points in succession. Despite wasting two match points due to late jitters on serve, Mertens sealed the win with an ace.

"I have no words, actually. I'm very happy I won that first set and kept the momentum going,"

Elise Mertens, Belgian player, via Yahoo Sports

The victory was a rarity for Mertens, marking only her second career win against Rybakina in nine meetings. While Mertens has 10 WTA titles, she had previously struggled against top-10 players at Grand Slams, holding a 3-14 record. This win represents one of the biggest of her career, specifically at SW19, where she is already a two-time women's doubles champion.

For Rybakina, the 2022 champion and January Australian Open winner, the loss continues a slump at the All England Club. This is the second consecutive year she has failed to reach the second week. Her recent form has been inconsistent, including a second-round exit at the French Open in May and early losses in Berlin and at Queen's.

An hour after Rybakina's exit, third seed Iga Swiatek followed her out of the tournament on Centre Court. The six-time Grand Slam champion fell 7-6 (11-9), 6-2 to Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. The defeat means no woman has successfully defended the Wimbledon singles title since Serena Williams in 2016.

Eala, 21, became the first player from the Philippines to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam in the Open era. She had previously beaten Swiatek at the 2025 Miami Open and won a WTA 125 title on the Birmingham grass courts before arriving at Wimbledon. Against the defending champion, Eala saved four break points in a lengthy final game before converting her third match point.

"For someone who grew up in the Philippines and went to train with my brother and grandfather every day after school with my ruffled socks and light up shoes and chubby cheeks, to [me] this is everything,"

Alexandra Eala, Filipina player, via AOL

Swiatek's performance was marred by 44 unforced errors and five double faults. The Pole has struggled since her Wimbledon victory last year, failing to win a title in 2026. This match marked the third time in five years that Swiatek has lost in the third round at Wimbledon.

The departures of the second and third seeds leave the bottom half of the draw wide open. Mertens will face the 21st seed, Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, in the fourth round. Bouzkova advanced after defeating Liudmila Samsonova in three sets. Eala will face 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the last 16.