Rybakina Crashes Out as Mertens Orchestrates Wimbledon Upset

Swiatek and Rybakina Sent Packing in Third Round

The 2022 Wimbledon champion is out. Elena Rybakina, seeded second at the All England Club, suffered a straight-set defeat at the hands of Elise Mertens in the third round. The loss marks one of the most significant upsets of the tournament so far.

But Rybakina was not the only high-profile casualty on a dramatic Saturday at SW19. Defending champion Iga Swiatek also crashed out, undone by the rising Filipina star Alexandra Eala in straight sets, 7-6 (9), 6-2. Wimbledon's bottom half of the women's draw was blown wide open as both the defending champion and the world No 2 fell on the same day.

Mertens, a crafty and experienced competitor from Belgium, dispatched the Kazakhstani star with stunning efficiency. The scoreline reflected a performance where the underdog executed her game plan to perfection. Rybakina, who has long been considered the most dangerous grass-court player on the WTA tour when her serve is firing, simply could not find her rhythm.

This result instantly blows the bottom half of the draw wide open. With the second seed gone, the path to the final has become significantly less treacherous for the remaining players in that section.

The Demolition Job

Grass-court tennis is inherently stressful, but Rybakina usually thrives on the lawns of SW19. Instead, the match quickly devolved into a nightmare for the big-hitting 25-year-old. She struggled to consistently land her first serve, robbing her of the free points that usually anchor her aggressive style.

Mertens, currently ranked outside the top 30, was brilliant in her refusal to be intimidated. She absorbed the heavy groundstrokes and redirected the ball with sharp, flat angles. Mistakes began to pile up for the champion, and a straight-sets result was firmly on the cards.

Rybakina failed to generate any real momentum, and the frustration was visible. The serving statistics, usually her strongest asset, told the bleak story of the afternoon.

The Numbers Behind the Upset

The match exposed Rybakina's uncharacteristic vulnerability.

• Rybakina struggled significantly behind her second serve.
• Mertens broke the big-serving star multiple times across the two sets.
• The Belgian kept her unforced error count remarkably low.
• Rybakina's typically dominant first-serve percentage dropped below her seasonal average.

A Familiar Pattern of Framing

Rybakina has never been the most outgoing player on tour. During this fortnight, the narrative surrounding the second seed shifted away from her thunderous groundstrokes and toward her physical condition. A viral moment earlier in the week captured her abrupt exit from a standard post-match press conference immediately after a routine win, sparking intense speculation and a frenzy among tennis followers.

The incident dominated headlines, putting her team on the defensive and forcing them to clarify that the abrupt exit was not due to an injury. This unusual media storm, regardless of its true nature, shifted the tennis conversation. It highlighted the fragile balance top athletes walk between peak physical performance and mental exhaustion in the relentless grind of the sport.

The triumph for Elise Mertens, conversely, is the culmination of years of quiet, relentless hard work on the WTA tour. The Belgian has successfully won titles on every surface throughout her career, including prestigious trophies in both singles and doubles. She entered the clash with nothing to lose and possessed the requisite big-match pedigree to not be intimidated by the occasion or the challenge.

Inside the Stands and the Locker Room

Inside Centre Court, the crowd was audibly stunned as match point concluded. The usually partisan Wimbledon audience slowly processed the reality that the 2022 champion and heavy pre-tournament favourite was heading home before the second week even began. A hush fell over the historic arena before respectful applause rained down for the brilliant Belgian underdog.

The player area was a stark display of contrasting human emotions. Mertens immediately headed toward her box, where her coaching staff erupted in a mixture of visible relief and unbridled joy. Across the corridors of the All England Club, the mood inside the Rybakina camp was suffocatingly subdued. Coach Stefano Vukov sat staring blankly into space as the gravity of the lost championship opportunity set in.

"I just tried to play my game and focus on each point. It is an amazing feeling to get this win on this court." — Elise Mertens

What This Means for the Draw

The exit of the second seed—and the defending champion on the same day—sends a massive shockwave through the remainder of the women's singles draw. It guarantees that a new name will lift the Venus Rosewater Dish this year, adding another layer of unpredictable excitement to the tournament. It also removes arguably the most imposing grass-court game from the equation entirely.

For Mertens, this victory provides a massive surge in confidence. She will head into the fourth round as a dangerous dark horse capable of causing further damage. Her flat groundstrokes are perfectly suited to the low bounce of a grass court, and her vast doubles experience gives her a distinct tactical edge at net.

For Rybakina, this is a bitter and deeply disappointing end to a tournament she has historically dominated. Questions about her mental focus and championship stamina will undoubtedly resurface within the broader tennis media. Grass is supposed to be her safest and most dominant surface, making this early exit hurt even more.

The 2022 champion will need to regroup quickly. The North American hard court swing is looming large on the immediate horizon, and she has mountains of ranking points to defend before the US Open begins. If she cannot rediscover her best form and emotional balance there, the ranking slump could be dramatic.

What It Means

The most significant casualties of Wimbledon signal a wide-open race for the title. The second seed and the defending champion both became collateral damage, and the path to the final is now clear for a new face to step up and make history.

Rybakina faces a crucial crossroads ahead of the hard-court summer season. She must address the physical concerns and mental fatigue that have shadowed her throughout this turbulent grass season. Mertens, meanwhile, continues her march toward the second week as a legitimate dark horse with the trophy well within her sights.

Updated: 2026-07-04 — Added reporting on defending champion Iga Swiatek's straight-set elimination by Alexandra Eala, which alongside Rybakina's upset loss blew the bottom half of the women's draw wide open.