Second seed Elena Rybakina lost 7-6(4), 6-1 to Elise Mertens in the third round, ending her bid for a second Grand Slam of 2026 and the No. 1 ranking.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek was beaten 7-6(9), 6-2 by Alexandra Eala, a 21-year-old from the Philippines who had never previously won a main-draw match at Wimbledon.
With Rybakina's defeat, Aryna Sabalenka is guaranteed to stay atop the WTA rankings after Wimbledon. She faces Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
Elise Mertens advanced to the last 16 at Wimbledon for the fourth time, matching her best result at the tournament. She will play Marie Bouzkova next.
Novak Djokovic earned his 105th Wimbledon match win, equalling Roger Federer, and also matched Federer's 18 fourth-round appearances.
The third round of Wimbledon 2026 delivered two seismic shocks on Saturday as former champions Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek both fell in straight sets. Rybakina, the 2022 winner and world No. 2, was outplayed by Belgium's Elise Mertens 7-6(4), 6-1 on Court One. Hours later, defending champion Swiatek suffered a 7-6(9), 6-2 defeat to the Philippines' Alexandra Eala. The exits of the two highest-profile contenders blew the women's singles draw wide open and had immediate ranking consequences.
Rybakina needed to reach at least the quarter-finals to have a chance of overtaking Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the WTA rankings. Instead, the 27-year-old Kazakh produced what Reuters described as a "flat performance" against the wily Mertens. The 30-year-old Belgian, seeded 25th, used greater variety to claim only her second win in nine meetings with Rybakina. After a tight first set decided by a tiebreak, Mertens seized control, winning nine consecutive points at one stage in the second set and closing out the match with an ace despite some late nerves. It is the fourth time Mertens has reached the last 16 at Wimbledon, equalling her best runs from 2019, 2022 and 2025. She will face Czech Marie Bouzkova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Swiatek's title defence ended almost as abruptly. The Polish world No. 3, who won last year's final without dropping a game, was undone by the 21-year-old Eala, ranked 32nd. Eala had never won a main-draw match at Wimbledon before this year but came into the tournament with 11 grass-court wins in 2026, including a title in Birmingham and a final in Eastbourne. The first set was a tight affair, with both players holding set points in the tiebreak before Eala edged it 11-9. The Filipino then raced through the second set 6-2, leaving Swiatek to contemplate a drop to at least sixth in the rankings.
Sabalenka did not even need to step on court on Saturday to receive the news that she will remain world No. 1 after the tournament. With Rybakina's defeat, no player can now surpass her 8,550 points. The Belarusian faces a fourth-round clash with Naomi Osaka, who looked sharp in a 6-1, 6-3 win over Daria Kasatkina. Sabalenka's path to a first Wimbledon title remains open, but the draw has lost two of its biggest threats.
On the men's side, Novak Djokovic continued his pursuit of a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title with a four-set win over Arthur Rinderknech. The 39-year-old Serb notched his 105th match win at the All England Club, drawing level with Roger Federer, and also matched Federer's mark of 18 fourth-round appearances.
“I propose a match-up between me and Roger for 106. Let's just stop it here and call Roger to come.”
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Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, both former Wimbledon champions, were eliminated in the third round on Saturday, clearing the path for Aryna Sabalenka to keep the world No. 1 ranking.
AI text based on reports by Polska Agencja Prasowa SA, NOS, www.polsatsport.pl and other publishers. Changed .