The biggest story over the weekend at Wimbledon is the fact that the top three seeds in the women’s draw are out. Gone are the number one seed Aryana Sabalenka of Belarus, the number two seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and the number three seed Iga Swiatek of Poland. Rybakina and Swiatek were both eliminated from round three and Sabalenka was knocked out of round four.
To put things into perspective, Sabalenka, Rybakina and Swiatek are three of the biggest superstars in the women’s game. Sabalenka is the world number one and four-time grand slam champion. Rybakina is a two-time grand slam champion and 2026 Australian Open champion, and Swiatek is a six-time grand slam champion and the defending Wimbledon champion.
Who beat the top three seeds? Sabalenka was beaten in the fourth round on Sunday by four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan. Osaka, the 14th seed, had eight aces, broke Sabalenka twice in the first set, and beat Sabalenka 7-2 in the second set tie-break.
Rybakina was beaten by 2018 Australian Open semifinalist and the 25th seed Elise Mertens of Belgium by a score of 7-6, 6-1. Mertens broke Rybakina four times throughout the match, and won the first set tiebreak by a score of 7-4.
Swiatek was beaten by Philippines’s phenom Iga Swiatek, 7-6, 6-2. Eala, the 29th seed, won the first set tiebreak 11-9, had zero double faults, and broke Swiatek five times throughout the match. Eala made headlines a year ago when she reached the semifinals of the Miami Open as the 140th ranked player.
