Second seed and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was upset in the third round on Saturday, falling in straight sets to Belgian Elise Mertens. Mertens, the 25th seed, won 7-6(4) 6-1, making Rybakina the highest seed to be eliminated from the tournament so far.
Rybakina struggled to recover after losing a first-set tiebreak, and Mertens seized control of the match. The Belgian utilized greater variety to overcome the Kazakh player, including a dominant spell in the second set where she won nine consecutive points. Despite some nerves while serving for the match, Mertens ended the contest with an ace.
With the loss, Rybakina's hopes of winning a second Grand Slam title this year and overtaking Aryna Sabalenka as world number one ended. To have a chance at the top ranking, the Australian Open champion needed to reach at least the quarter-finals.
Mertens has now reached the Wimbledon last-16 for the fourth time and recorded only her second win over Rybakina in nine meetings. She will face Czech Marie Bouzkova in the next round as she looks to achieve her best-ever Wimbledon run.