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 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.
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.
Her defeat on Court One also means Aryna Sabalenka will remain as the women’s world number one, regardless of how deep into the tournament the Belarusian goes.
Swiatek 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.
The pair could not be separated in a tight first set before Eala ran away with the second, coming through a lengthy final game to serve out a stunning victory.
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.
“[Rybakina’s] an incredible player, she’s won Wimbledon in the past so a really tough opponent.
“I think you could see the nerves. A couple of little faults but eventually after so many 40-alls I tried to keep a little pleasure and a little smile just to relax myself a bit.
“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.”
