Wimbledon women's draw blasted open as Swiatek and Rybakina crash

LONDON, July 4 : Two gaping holes were blasted into the women's draw at Wimbledonon Saturday as defending champion Iga Swiatek was outplayed by Filipino crowd-pleaser Alexandra Eala and second seed Elena Rybakina was sent packing by Belgian Elise Mertens.

Disgruntled Polish third seed Swiatek lost a titanic first-set battle that lasted almost 90 minutes and had no answer to a fearless Eala after that as she lost 7‑6(9) 6-2.

Rybakina, the 2022 champion who doubled her Grand Slam tally this year by winning the Australian Open, also fell away badly after a close first set, going down 7-6(4) 6-1 to Mertens who has reached the last 16 for the fourth time.

"Definitely I need to analyse and change something, because it's not working," said Rybakina, for whom a run to the quarter-final here could have seen her become world number one.

There was American disappointment on the day of the nation's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence as Serena Williams, one of its greatest ever athletes, withdrew from her eagerly-awaited doubles with sister Venus because of injury.

In an Instagram post Williams, who returned to the tournament after a four-year absence but lost to Maya Joint in the singles, said she was "heartbroken to have to withdraw."

There was U.S. success as qualifier Ashlyn Krueger enjoyed a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory over Ukraine's Daria Snigur but 23rd seed Emma Navarro went out to Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in three sets.

The shocks did not continue to the men's draw where second seed and newly-crowned French Open champion Alexander Zverev maintained his impressive start with a 6-2 7-6(4) 6-4 victory over American Marcos Giron.

Italy's French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli lost the opening set 6-0 against Russia's