Aryna Sabalenka’s Wimbledon campaign has come to an abrupt end.
Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, defeated Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 on Sunday to shatter Sabalenka’s hopes of winning a first Wimbledon title.
Osaka performed superbly from start to finish, striking eight aces and winning 87 per cent of her first-serve points en route to victory on Centre Court.
Who can stop Naomi Osaka winning the Wimbledon title now?
The Japanese star played so well that Sabalenka even admitted that she had been ‘overpowered’.
Boris Becker, a three-time champion at the All England Club, has offered his reaction to the startling result in south-west London.
Boris Becker says Aryna Sabalenka is at risk of losing the world number one spot
Aryna Sabalenka has to go back to the drawing board,” Becker, the youngest male winner of the Wimbledon Men’s Singles title, said in a post on X following the Belarusian’s defeat.
“Something fundamentally is not working anymore right now and she needs to find out what it is,” he added.
“Otherwise she won’t be [world] number one in 12 months time.”
Sabalenka would have been at risk of losing the world number one spot after Wimbledon, had Elena Rybakina not lost to Elise Mertens in the third round.
However, Rybakina did just that, preserving Sabalenka’s status as the world’s best player for the time being.
The 28-year-old Belarusian is at risk of surrendering the top spot during the North American hard-court swing.
The four-time major champion is defending 2,215 WTA ranking points during the swing.
This is because she reached the quarter-finals of last year’s Cincinnati Open, and won the US Open.
| Live Ranking | Player | Live WTA Ranking Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 8550 |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | 8143 |
| 3 | Jessica Pegula | 6301 |
| 4 | Coco Gauff | 5299 |
| 5 | Mirra Andreeva | 5293 |
Who is the Wimbledon favourite?
Aryna Sabalenka was the clear favourite for the Wimbledon title prior to her exit on Sunday afternoon.
With the world number one now absent from the tournament, who will take advantage?
There are now two clear candidates for the Wimbledon title.
One of those is Naomi Osaka.
Osaka has made significant strides on the grass surface this year, and proved her worth on the surface by defeating Sabalenka on Sunday.
The Japanese star will play 10th seed Karolina Muchova next.
Jessica Pegula is also the other main contender.
The American, who is yet to win a Grand Slam title, has a game style that perfectly suits the grass courts: a low centre of gravity, a flat game-style, and excellent counter-punching ability.
Pegula will play Coco Gauff in the Wimbledon quarter-finals after defeating compatriot Iva Jovic on Sunday.
