Elise Mertens has just pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the first week of Wimbledon 2026. The Belgian tennis player showcased her best tennis to defeat Elena Rybakina with a score of 7-6(4) 6-1 in 1 hour and 35 minutes, shattering the Kazakh player's dream of snatching the number 1 ranking from Aryna Sabalenka.
The first set was a rollercoaster with constant plot twists, where Mertens had a break lead on two occasions, but Rybakina didn't give up to stay alive. However, the Belgian player delivered a great tie-break to take the lead on the scoreboard. From there on came the downfall of the WTA's number 2 player, who lost confidence in all her shots and surrendered her serve twice, granting Mertens a spot in the round of 16.
Rybakina misses her chance to snatch the number 1 spot from Sabalenka at Wimbledon
It's worth noting that Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022, but she hasn't been able to replicate her best form at the All England Club since then. Last year, she also exited in the third round, and this year she once again showed that her grass court level is far from what it used to be. This defeat comes as a surprise given her promising season after winning the Australian Open, but her grass court results hinted at a potential catastrophe.
She suffered a second-round exit at the WTA Queen's and a first-round defeat at the WTA Berlin, which was a foretold demise. The good news for her is that she doesn't lose points from last year, unlike Sabalenka who could drop points if she fails to reach the semifinals. Thus, she could keep closing in on the rankings, with an eye already set on the hard court season marking the season's second half.
本新闻为自动翻译。您可以阅读原始新闻:Sorpresón en Wimbledon: Mertens elimina a Rybakina

