Can the seeds survive? Rybakina and Swiatek fall at Wimbledon

Can the top seeds hold the grass at Wimbledon? Not this year. The third round delivered seismic upsets on July 4—two of the tournament’s highest-ranked players crashed out in stunning fashion.

Elena Rybakina, seeded second and the 2022 Wimbledon champion, fell to Belgium’s Elise Mertens on Court No. 1. The scoreline: 7-6 (4) 6-1. Mertens dismantled her in the second set. Rybakina had won the Australian Open just months earlier in January, yet here she was, undone by a Belgian ranked 25th who had lost six straight matches to her. For Rybakina, the timing couldn’t have been worse.

This loss fits a troubling pattern. At the French Open, she fell in the second round to unseeded Yuliia Starodubtseva, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). Two consecutive Grand Slams, two early exits.

Mertens advances to face Naomi Osaka in the fourth round on Sunday. The Belgian is a three-time Grand Slam doubles winner—she claimed the Australian Open doubles title with Zhang Shuai and holds the reigning Wimbledon doubles crown alongside Veronika Kudermetova.

On Centre Court, the shocks continued. Defending champion Iga Swiatek lost to 21-year-old Alexandra Eala, 7-6 (9), 6-2. Last year, Swiatek won her first Wimbledon title with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 rout of Amanda Anisimova in the final. This defeat carries serious consequences: when new WTA rankings drop after the tournament, Swiatek will exit the top 10 for the first time since May 2021.

Eala’s victory carries historic weight. She becomes the first tennis player from the Philippines—male or female—to reach the fourth round of any Grand Slam singles tournament. She’ll climb into the top 30 on the back of this upset over a six-time Grand Slam winner. Next up: Jasmine Paolini in the round of 16.

Rybakina’s stumble guarantees one thing: Aryna Sabalenka keeps her No. 1 ranking, no matter what happens in the remaining rounds.