▲ Swiatek
Defending champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek, along with world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, were both eliminated in the third round of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
Swiatek lost 2-0 to world No. 32 Alexandra Eala (Philippines) in the women's singles third round on the sixth day of the tournament, held at the All England Club in London, England, after a match lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Swiatek, who claimed her first Wimbledon title last year, failed to defend her championship and must wait for another opportunity to secure her seventh career major title.
Following her round-of-16 exit at the French Open, the most recent major tournament, this consecutive early departure has raised concerns about a downward trend in her performance.
The last time Swiatek was eliminated in the third round of a major tournament was at Wimbledon in 2024.
Eala, who previously became the first Filipino player in the Open Era to reach the third round of a major, made history once again by advancing to the round of 16.
Eala previously drew attention at last year's WTA Tour Miami Open by defeating Swiatek in the quarterfinals and advancing to the semifinals.
Eala will face Jasmine Paolini, who defeated Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) 2-0, for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Rybakina, a powerful server considered a strong favorite alongside Swiatek, also made an early exit in the third round.
Rybakina suffered an unexpected 2-1 defeat to Elise Mertens, against whom she had previously shown dominance.
Prior to this match, Rybakina held a commanding 7-1 head-to-head record against Mertens, including a six-match winning streak.
Despite this, she struggled from the first set, committing a series of unforced errors that led to her defeat.
Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, suffered the humiliation of being eliminated in the third round for the second consecutive year at this tournament.
Mertens will face world No. 21 Marie Bouzkova in the round of 16.
In the men's singles, the top seeds advanced without any upsets.
French Open champion Alexander Zverev defeated Marcos Giron 3-0 to reach the round of 16, where he will face Jiri Lehecka.
French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli struggled early, dropping the first set 6-0 to Karen Khachanov, but managed to secure a 3-2 comeback victory.
Cobolli will face Alex de Minaur, who defeated Zachary Svajda 3-1, in the round of 16.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams (USA) withdrew from the women's doubles first round, where she was set to compete alongside her sister, Venus.
The 44-year-old Williams withdrew just hours before the match, citing that her knee, injured during her singles return to the tournament after four years, had not recovered.
Williams wrote on Instagram, "I am heartbroken to have to withdraw from the doubles."
Williams was eliminated in the first round of the singles competition.
Her highly anticipated return to both singles and doubles has come to an abrupt end.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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