Defending champion Iga Swiatek (3rd, Poland) has secured her spot in the third round of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, which features a total prize pool of 64.2 million pounds.
On the fourth day of the tournament, July 2 (local time), Swiatek defeated Karolina Pliskova (73rd, Czech Republic) 2-0 in the women's singles second round at the All England Club in London, England, in just one hour and 10 minutes.
Swiatek, who had struggled to a 2-1 victory over Taylor Townsend (79th, USA) in the first round—a match where she appeared visibly emotional—delivered a flawless performance to secure this win.
Pliskova is a formidable player who reached the world number one ranking in 2017.
"I was very emotional in the first round, but today I played like I was doing my job at the office," Swiatek said. "I felt I needed to be sharper."
With this result, Swiatek has extended her streak of reaching at least the third round in 26 consecutive major tournaments, a run that began after her second-round exit at the 2019 US Open.
Her next opponent in the battle for a spot in the round of 16 is the rising star from the Philippines, Alexandra Eala (32nd).
Eala advanced to the third round after defeating Maya Joint (87th, Australia), who had knocked out Serena Williams (USA) in the first round, by a score of 2-1.
Elena Rybakina (2nd, Kazakhstan), the 2022 champion, also cruised into the third round with a 2-0 victory over Katie McNally (50th, USA).

Rybakina could potentially overtake Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) for the world number one ranking if she achieves a strong result in this tournament.
In the men's singles, French Open champion Alexander Zverev (3rd, Germany) advanced to the third round after a 3-0 victory over Valentin Royer (75th, France).
Last year, Zverev was eliminated early in the first round after being defeated by fellow Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech (25th).
He has historically struggled at Wimbledon, having never once advanced past the round of 16 in his nine previous appearances at the tournament.
However, he looks different this year.

Beyond his strong form, top contenders Jannik Sinner (1st, Italy) and Novak Djokovic (8th, Serbia) are on the other side of the draw, meaning he will not face them until the final.
"If I keep playing like this, I think it's possible this year," Zverev said. "In tennis, you need to forget things quickly, whether they are good or bad."
(Photo: Getty Images)