LONDON — Saturday at Wimbledon turned into a day of stunning upsets as the women’s draw lost two of its biggest stars in back-to-back shockers.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek, the Polish third seed, was dominated by 29th-seeded Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, falling 7-6(9) 6-2 in a match that began with a grueling first set stretching nearly 90 minutes. Shortly after, second seed Elena Rybakina — the 2022 Wimbledon champion who added the Australian Open title to her resume earlier this year — was knocked out by Belgium’s Elise Mertens, 7-6(4) 6-1.
Eala made history in the process, becoming the first player from the Philippines ever to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam. A message written in Tagalog on her Nike cap sums up her attitude: “once it grows, it cannot be stopped.”
Speaking to an emotional Centre Court crowd, Eala reflected on her journey. “For someone who grew up in the Philippines … I went to training with my brother and my grandfather every day after school with my ruffled socks and my light-up shoes and chubby cheeks, so … to her, this is everything,” she said. She quickly added: “But because I’m emotional does not mean I’m satisfied, so yeah, okay, next round. Let’s go.”
The first set was a tense affair, with Eala saving a set point in the tiebreak after Swiatek netted a forehand — a moment that visibly frustrated the defending champion, who laughed sarcastically and shouted toward her team in the stands. Eala stayed composed and pulled away decisively in the second set.
A clearly dejected Swiatek later told reporters she is trying to shift her mindset. “Honestly, I don’t care anymore about the results. I’ve been so focused on them that it’s hard to continue like that,” she said. “So I’m really trying to let it go.”
Rybakina, who had a chance to reach world number one with a deep run in the tournament, also crumbled after a competitive opening set. “Definitely I need to analyse and change something, because it’s not working,” she said following the loss. Mertens, meanwhile, advanced to the last 16 for the fourth time in her career.
Eala’s next challenge will be 13th seed Jasmine Paolini, the 2024 Wimbledon runner-up, who rolled past Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-1 6-2.
The day carried added emotion for American tennis fans, as Saturday marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes in U.S. history, announced via Instagram that she was withdrawing from her long-awaited doubles partnership with sister Venus due to injury. Williams had already exited the singles draw after a loss to Maya Joint following a four-year absence from the tournament. She described herself as “heartbroken to have to withdraw.”
There was some American success on the day, as qualifier Ashlyn Krueger cruised past Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 6-3 6-2. However, 23rd seed Emma Navarro was eliminated by Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in three sets.
On the men’s side, there were no major surprises. Second seed Alexander Zverev, the newly crowned French Open champion, kept his strong run going with a 6-2 7-6(4) 6-4 win over American Marcos Giron. Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, the French Open runner-up, dropped the opening set 6-0 to Russia’s Karen Khachanov but battled back to win in five sets, 0-6 7-6(4) 6-7(5) 6-2 6-2.
Italy could make history in the men’s draw, with the possibility of placing four players in the round of 16 for the first time since the 1947 French Open. Defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner has already advanced, while Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Sonego were set to play later. Cobolli, the ninth seed, will next face Australian Alex de Minaur, who defeated American Zachary Svajda 6-2 5-7 6-2 6-4.
