Elena Rybakina, Wimbledon champion in 2022, stunned by Elise Mertens in third round

Elena Rybakina’s 2022 Wimbledon title run took a major hit at the All England Club, where she was stunned in the third round by Elise Mertens. On Saturday, the No. 25 seed from Belgium defeated the 2022 champion 7-6(4), 6-1 on Centre Court for her second career win over the world No. 2 in nine meetings. The loss affected both the tournament draw and the WTA singles rankings, because Rybakina needed to reach at least the quarterfinals to have a chance of overtaking Aryna Sabalenka for the No. 1 spot; Sabalenka will keep the top ranking. The article attributes the upset largely to Rybakina’s recent struggles with her serve and forehand, including a 42% first-serve success rate. Mertens next faces No. 21 seed Marie Bouzková of the Czech Republic in the fourth round.