Elise Mertens defeated second seed Elena Rybakina 7-6(7-4), 6-1 in the third round of Wimbledon on July 4, 2026, eliminating the 2022 champion and 2026 Australian Open winner from the tournament [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Rybakina needed to reach at least the Wimbledon quarter-finals to keep her hopes of becoming the women's world number one alive, but the loss ended that possibility, securing Aryna Sabalenka's position at the top regardless of further results [1, 2, 6, 3, 5].
The 25th-seeded Mertens, who is also the reigning Wimbledon women's doubles champion, showcased a commanding performance, including a stretch of nine consecutive points in the second set to dominate the match [1, 2, 3, 4]. This marked her fourth time reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon [2, 3].
Mertens praised her effort, saying, "I have no words, actually. I'm very happy I won that first set and kept the momentum going. [Rybakina's] an incredible player, she's won Wimbledon in the past so a really tough opponent. I think you could see the nerves... This is definitely one of the biggest wins of my career, especially here at Wimbledon. I've had some success here before. I'm just very pleased with my performance today." [1]
Observers noted Rybakina's flat performance on Court One compared to Mertens’ variety and composure, with the Kazakh player unable to keep up the intensity she showed earlier in the year [2, 4]. After the match, Rybakina acknowledged the need for change, telling reporters, "Definitely I need to analyse and change something, because it's not working." [6, 5]
The Wimbledon tournament continues with the fourth round matches scheduled in the coming days.
