Elise Mertens stuns second seed Elena Rybakina in Wimbledon upset
Former champion Elena Rybakina has been knocked out of Wimbledon in the third round after suffering a shock straight-sets defeat to Elise Mertens on Court One.
The Belgian 25th seed produced a remarkable performance to secure a 7-6 6-1 victory over the heavily favoured second seed.
It represents the biggest upset of the tournament so far in the women’s singles draw.
The 2022 winner had historically dominated this matchup, claiming victory in six of their previous encounters before arriving at the All England Club.
Grass-court struggles continue
This early exit compounds what has been a difficult build-up to the prestigious London tournament for the recent Australian Open victor.
She endured a disappointing preparation, suffering a second-round loss in Berlin to wildcard Alexandra Eala.
That setback was immediately followed by a frustrating quarter-final defeat at the hands of Katie Boulter.
Grand slam momentum stalled
The shock result marks another premature departure from a major championship for the world number two.
After capturing her second grand slam crown against Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne this January, expectations remained incredibly high.
However, she also experienced a surprising second-round defeat at last month’s French Open against unseeded qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Mertens will now advance to the second week at SW19 following the most significant victory of her grass-court season.