Reigning champion Iga Swiatek, who thrashed Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in last year's Wimbledon final to win her sixth grand slam title, fell to the 29th seed Alexandra Eala on Centre Court, with the 21-year-old making history for the Philippines by reaching the fourth round. It came after former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was also knocked out, following a third-round defeat to Elise Mertens. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka now faces a blockbuster against Naomi Osaka after two of her biggest rivals exited the tournament.
On the men's side, there was a string of upsets on the Friday, with rising stars Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar both falling to qualifiers, and eighth seed Daniil Medvedev losing in straight sets. Matteo Berrettini and Grigor Dimitrov are among the unseeded players whose paths to the finals are opening up. Reigning men's champion and top seed Jannik Sinner is gathering form after a slow start at the Championships, while seventh seed Novak Djokovic remains a possible semi-final opponent for the Italian as the 39-year-old bids to win a record-breaking 25th grand slam title. Djokovic has not been as low as No 7 seed at Wimbledon for eight years, when he was coming back from elbow surgery. At 39 years old, he would be the oldest winner of the men's singles at the All England Club by some four years – but staying fit enough to do so has been the major challenge of the latter years of his career.
“Swiatek stunned by Eala; Rybakina also out; seeds tumble at Wimbledon before second week.”
British No 1 Cam Norrie is the only British man who will have the draw benefit of a seeding, hoping it can potentially take him back to the semi-finals of four years ago. Defending champion Sinner was the runaway favourite for Roland Garros only to collapse from two sets and 5-1 up in the third and lose to Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Last year, the temperatures at SW19 approached 40°C, and heat does seem to be the Italian's only weakness. He will be one of the few at Wimbledon praying for rain.