LONDON (AP) — Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, was upset in the third round by Elise Mertens 7-6 (4), 6-1 at the grass-court Grand Slam on Saturday.
At No. 2, Rybakina is the highest seed on the women’s side to be eliminated and her loss ensures that Aryna Sabalenka will keep her No. 1 ranking after the tournament.
Sabalenka faces Naomi Osaka in the fourth round on Sunday.
Belgium's Mertens is the No. 25 seed at Wimbledon, where she’s won two doubles titles. She will next face 21st-seeded Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic.
Keys shines on 4th of July
In another upset, Madison Keys rallied to oust the sixth-seeded Anisimova 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-American contest on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
The 26th-seeded Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion, was asked how she'll celebrate the U.S. holiday.
“I have no plans,” she told the Centre Court crowd after her victory. “When you’re not in the States, it’s just kind of another day.”
Keys will next play ninth-seeded Linda Noskova.
Ashlyn Krueger, another American, has come through qualifying to reach the fourth round. She beat Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 6-3, 6-2 and will face another Ukrainian — 12th-seeded Marta Kostyuk — for a spot in the quarterfinals.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
