Swiatek and Rybakina crash out in Wimbledon third round
Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina were eliminated in the third round of Wimbledon, losing to lower-ranked opponents in straight sets.
Wimbledon saw major upsets on Saturday as two top seeds were knocked out in the third round. World No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland lost 6:7 (9:11), 2:6 to Philippines' Alexandra Eala, ranked 32nd. Swiatek had a set point in the tiebreak at 6:5 but failed to convert, and then lost the second set after trailing 0:4 early.
Statistics showed Swiatek struggled on second serve points (32% vs 55%), total points (78:92), and break point conversion (3/11 vs 5/7). She hit 1 ace and 5 double faults, while Eala had 4 aces and no double faults. Winners-to-unforced errors were 32-44 for Swiatek and 24-21 for Eala. The match lasted 2 hours 15 minutes. This was Swiatek's seventh Wimbledon appearance; her best result is the 2025 title. Eala will face Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina (World No. 2) fell 6:7 (4:7), 1:6 to Belgium's Elise Mertens (No. 27). Rybakina, a heavy favorite, led 3-2 in the tiebreak but lost it 4-7. In the second set, she lost serve twice and squandered four break points in the final game.
Rybakina's first serve percentage was 42% to Mertens' 64%, total points 60:75, break points 2/10 vs 4/10. She had 2 aces and 6 double faults (Mertens 4 aces, 10 double faults). Winners/unforced errors were 12-31 for Rybakina and 18-27 for Mertens. Match time also 2:15. This was Rybakina's seventh Wimbledon; she won the title in 2022. Mertens now leads their head-to-head 7-2.
Last year's finalist Amanda Anisimova plays later against Madison Keys.
