Elise Mertens defeated Elena Rybakina, 7-6, 6-1, in the third round of Wimbledon.
The world number two had been tipped as a potential title challenger, but fell in straight sets to her Belgian opponent on Court 1.
Rybakina was nowhere near her best as she failed to advance to the last 16 of Wimbledon for the second year running.
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During the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage, former champion Marion Bartoli shared why she wasn’t too surprised by the result.
Marion Bartoli knew it was possible for Elena Rybakina to get knocked out of Wimbledon early
“Incredible, but again, we sort of knew it was possible,” said Bartoli.
“We talked about it before the match started. You don’t really know what kind of [Elena] Rybakina you’re going to see on the day.
“Because of the head-to-head record (was 7-1 to Rybakina), it was so much in her favour, the fact that she could potentially be the number one player in the world at the end of this tournament, the fact that she is a Wimbledon champion in singles, we sort of thought she could come up with those extraordinary ball strikes.
“But today, Mertens played so well tactically. She used the right tactics at the right moments; she was able to be really aggressive with her serve when she needed it the most.
Elena Rybakina vs Elise Mertens – Match stats
| Stats | Elena Rybakina | Elise Mertens |
| Aces | 2 | 4 |
| Double faults | 6 | 10 |
| 1st Serve % | 42% | 64% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 75% | 78% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 36% | 32% |
| Break points | 2/10 | 4/10 |
| Net points | 8/14 | 7/10 |
| Unforced errors | 31 | 27 |
| Winners | 12 | 19 |
| Total points won | 60 | 75 |
“We saw some glimpses of tension, of course, we can easily understand that, but when she needed that serve, she was capable of hitting the spots.
“Overall, the much sturdier player won today.”
Losing to Mertens, Rybakina suffered another early Grand Slam exit.
Many predicted the Kazakh to push on after her Australian Open triumph in January, but she has since lost in the second round of the French Open and the third round of Wimbledon.
Her Wimbledon defeat is particularly concerning, given how well she has played on grass historically.
But after winning the title in 2022 and making deep runs in 2023 and 2024, she’s lost in the third round on her last two visits to the All England Club.
Elena Rybakina’s Wimbledon results
- 2019 – Lost in Q3 to Varvara Flink, 3-6, 6-4, 6-8
- 2021 – Lost in 4R to Aryna Sabalenka, 3-6, 6-4, 3-6
- 2022 – Winner (Beat Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2)
- 2023 – Lost in QF to Ons Jabeur, 7-6, 4-6, 1-6
- 2024 – Lost in SF to Barbora Krejcikova, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6
- 2025 – Lost in 3R to Clara Tauson, 6-7, 3-6
- 2026 – Lost in 3R to Elise Mertens, 6-7, 1-6
Whatever Rybakina is doing on grass, it’s not working.
The win was costly, too, in the race for the world number-one ranking.
Rybakina could have reached world number one for the first time with a title in London, but will now have to wait until the North American hard-court season for a chance to overtake the Belarusian, Aryna Sabalenka.
The 27-year-old Kazakh certainly has work to do if she wants to truly establish herself as the best player in women’s tennis.
Elise Mertens thanks fans after knocking Elena Rybakina out of Wimbledon
While it was a tough day for Rybakina, it was one of the best of Mertens’ career.
The Belgian secured her first-ever win over a top-10 opponent on grass, and did it in style.
Speaking to Annabel Croft after the match, Mertens was understandably delighted.
“First of all, I want to thank everyone for coming, it was an amazing atmosphere,” she said.
“It’s one of the most beautiful courts around the world, so I’m very pleased and very grateful to be on Court 1.
“I have no words, actually. I feel a little bit like ‘Woo’, but I’m very happy I won that first set, and then I kept the momentum going. She’s an incredible player; she’s won Wimbledon in the past, so a really tough opponent.”
Mertens was then asked how she dealt with the nerves during the closing stages of her third-round win.
“I think you could see that!” she said.
“A couple of double faults, but no, eventually, after so many 40-40s, I tried to keep a little smile to relax myself a little bit, and of course, thanks to my team for supporting me throughout the whole match.”
Picking up one of the biggest wins of her career, Mertens spoke about her love for Wimbledon once again.
“Yeah, definitely one of the biggest wins of my career, especially here at Wimbledon,” she said.
“I’ve had some doubles success here at Wimbledon already, so I’m just very, very pleased about my performance today.
“It’s one of the most… It’s the most iconic tournament, the most iconic venue. So much history, especially also on this court, so I’m taking it all in today.”
Mertens is taking it all in, but won’t want to let herself get overawed, as she has a real chance of making the quarter-finals.
When she returns on Monday, July 6, she will take on the Czech 21st seed Marie Bouzkova.
