Wimbledon carnage in women’s draw reaches heights seen just one time in Open Era

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Wimbledon is being beset by notable upsets in the women’s tournament. First, there was No.2 Coco Gauff’s first-round exit following her French Open title win. Then came No.3 Jessica Pegula, meeting the same fate.

But it didn’t stop there. The No. 4 and No. 5 players in the world, Jasmine Paolini and Qinwen Zheng, also lost over the three days. 

As a result, Wimbledon is left with all but one of the top five women’s players, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.  On Tuesday, Sabalenka defeated Marie Bouzková (7-6, 6-4) in her second-round match.

She moves on to the third Round against unranked Emma Raducanu of Great Britain on Friday. This marks the first time since 2018 that only one of the top five players has advanced to the Round of 32 at Wimbledon. 

In 2018, Simona Halep advanced that far, whereas Sloane Stephens and Elina Svitolina lost in the first Round. Caroline Wozniacki and Garbiñe Muguruza each lost in the second Round. 

Over the past few years, Sabalenka has established herself as an established winner.

She is a three-time Grand Slam champion. Sabalenka has won two Australian Opens (2023 and 2024) and the U.S. Open in 2024. In addition, Sabalenka has achieved the No.1 ranking in both singles and doubles. 

The chances of winning Wimbledon

With the other top players out, the path is more straightforward for Sabalenka to win her first Wimbledon title. 

She is familiar with inching closer to success on the hallowed grass courts. Twice, she made it to the semifinals in 2021 and 2023. 

Under normal circumstances, the women’s tournament is generally considered more open. In other words, many players have a good chance of winning Wimbledon, with no clear favorite. 

But so far, Sabalenka is in prime position to defy that adage. She has a strong serve and exudes power on the baseline—tangibles often attributable to Wimbledon greats. 

Related: Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula upsets set new Grand Slam record

Related: Coco Gauff makes ‘overwhelmed’ admission after 1st-round Wimbledon loss