The exits of defending champion Barbora Krejcikova and 2022 winner Elena Rybakina from Wimbledon have guaranteed a new women's singles champion this year. Krejcikova lost in the third round to Emma Navarro of the United States, while Rybakina was defeated by Clara Tauson of Denmark.
Krejcikova's title defense ended with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Navarro. The Czech player struggled with her health during the match, requiring a medical timeout in the third set to have her blood pressure checked. She appeared distressed and was seen in tears before the final games. Krejcikova, who has had a difficult season with injuries, had only played six matches prior to Wimbledon. She missed the first five months of the season due to a back injury and had to withdraw from the Eastbourne Open due to a thigh problem.
Rybakina, the 11th seed, lost to Tauson 7-6 (6), 6-3. The Kazakh player, who won her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022, made 31 unforced errors during the match. Tauson, seeded 23rd, will now face Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.
With Krejcikova and Rybakina out of the tournament, only two former Grand Slam champions remain in the women's draw: Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, reached the fourth round with a straight-sets victory over Danielle Collins.
The exits of Krejcikova and Rybakina mean that Wimbledon will have a new women's champion for the eighth consecutive tournament. The last time a former champion won the title was in 2016 when Serena Williams claimed her seventh Wimbledon crown. In contrast, the men's competition has seen only five different winners in the past 22 years: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Carlos Alcaraz.
Other notable results from the third round include Jannik Sinner's straight-sets win over Pedro Martinez. Sinner has not lost a set in the tournament and will face Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round. Novak Djokovic is also aiming to reach the fourth round for the 17th time in his 20th appearance at Wimbledon.
