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July 04, 2026
Elena Rybakina: Elena Rybakina's Wimbledon title defense has come to an early end.
The second seed and 2022 champion fell to Belgium's Elise Mertens in the tournament's biggest upset so far. Mertens won 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Court No. 1.
The result stunned fans. Rybakina had beaten Mertens in all six of their previous meetings.
This time, the 25th-seeded Belgian turned the tables.
Rybakina, 27, came into Wimbledon in shaky form. She lost in the second round in Berlin to wildcard entrant Alexandra Eala.
She also fell in the Queen's Club quarterfinals to Britain's Katie Boulter. The Kazakh star had enjoyed a strong start to 2026.
She claimed her second Grand Slam title in January, defeating Aryna Sabalenka to win the Australian Open. But her form since has been inconsistent.
She exited the French Open in the second round last month, losing to unseeded Yuliia Starodubtseva.
A deep Wimbledon run was Rybakina's best shot at overtaking Sabalenka for the world No. 1 ranking.
She needed at least a quarterfinal finish to stay in contention. Instead, she struggled to find rhythm against Mertens.
Mertens, 30, brought a mix of shots that Rybakina couldn't solve.
The Belgian reeled off nine straight points during a decisive second-set stretch.
She wobbled briefly while serving for the match but closed it out in style, sealing the win with an ace.
Mertens, the reigning Wimbledon women's doubles champion, will look to build on the momentum.
She next faces Czech player Marie Bouzkova as she chases a career-best singles run at the All England Club.
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