Defending champion Swiatek & Rybakina out in Wimbledon shocks

Defending champion Iga Swiatek followed second seed Elena Rybakina out of the door at Wimbledon on a day of upsets on Saturday.

Third seed Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, fell 7-6 (11-9) 6-2 to highly rated Filipina Alexandra Eala in an enthralling third-round match on Centre Court.

That came an hour after 2022 champion Elena Rybakina was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 in the third round by Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

Rybakina’s loss means Aryna Sabalenka will remain as the women’s world number one, regardless of how deep into the tournament the Belarusian goes.

Her defeat is arguably more shocking than Swiatek’s, who has had a difficult run of form since winning Wimbledon last year.

She had a shaky start to her title defence, ending up in tears after coming through a tight three-set opening match against Taylor Townsend.

But this match against Eala – who had her breakthrough moment with victory over Swiatek at the 2025 Miami Open – always had the potential to wrongfoot the defending champion.

Eala threw herself to the ground and covered her face with her hands after saving four break points before converting her third match point in a lengthy final game.

Swiatek’s defeat means no woman has successfully defended the singles title at Wimbledon since Serena Williams in 2016.

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Swiatek’s struggles go on

Winning Wimbledon was a highlight of a difficult last season for Swiatek – a theme that has continued into this year.

She has not won a major since her SW19 triumph last year and has yet to win a title in 2026.

Eala, meanwhile, has been on the rise since Miami and won the WTA 125 title on the Birmingham grass courts in the build-up to Wimbledon.

A star in her home country, Eala has the pressure of her nation on her shoulders every time she walks on court – and she made a nervous start against the former world number one.

The pair could not be separated in a tight first set after an early exchange of breaks, although momentum was with Swiatek as she stopped Eala serving the set out at 5-3 and forced a tie-break.

Brilliant rallies were followed up with errors but Eala, gesturing for more noise from the crowd following a superb rally, clinched the opener on a long Swiatek forehand.

Swiatek yelled at her box before going off court to reset, only to quickly find herself 4-0 down.

Her quality dipped in and out as she rescued one of the breaks and gave it away in the next game, and then put Eala under pressure as she served for the match – only for the Filipina to be the braver of the pair on the break points.

Swiatek finished the match with 44 unforced errors and five double faults to one ace, with the final point fittingly being a long forehand from the frustrated Pole.

Eala – the first player from the Philippines to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam in the Open era – will face 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini next.

Rybakina misses another chance for top ranking

It is the second successive year that Kazakhstan’s Rybakina – who was crowned Australian Open champion in January – has failed to reach the second week at Wimbledon.

With just 947 points separating Sabalenka and Rybakina in the world rankings prior to the start of the grass-court Grand Slam, 27-year-old Rybakina had to reach at least the quarter-finals to stand any chance of challenging for top spot.

She was taken to a deciding set by France’s Lois Boisson in her opening match but faced no such issues against American Caty McNally in the second round, dropping just three games on her way to a comprehensive victory.

But Mertens proved her undoing, and after a tight opening set went in the Belgian’s favour on the tie-break, Rybakina failed to recover.

Mertens won nine points in succession in a dominant second set before defying late jitters on serve – which led to two wasted match points – to clinch victory with an ace.

For Mertens, a fourth-round meeting with Marie Bouzkova awaits after the Czech 21st seed came from behind to defeat Liudmila Samsonova in three sets.

“I have no words, actually. I’m very happy I won that first set and kept the momentum going,” said the 30-year-old, a two-time women’s doubles champion at SW19.

“This is definitely one of the biggest wins of my career, especially here at Wimbledon. I’ve had some success here before. I’m just very pleased with my performance today.”

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