Mertens upsets Rybakina at Wimbledon, denying her world number one ranking

Belgian Elise Mertens caused a major upset at Wimbledon on Saturday, defeating second seed Elena Rybakina in a thrilling three-set match. The victory denies Rybakina, the 2022 champion, the chance to ascend to the world number one ranking for the first time.

Mertens secured the win with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-1 in one hour and 35 minutes. The loss in the third round marks a disappointing repeat of Rybakina's performance last year at the All England Club. The Kazakhstani player struggled after losing the first-set tiebreak, making unforced errors and allowing Mertens to gain a significant advantage.

Rybakina had been in contention for the top spot, needing either a tournament win or for Aryna Sabalenka to perform poorly. Now, regardless of other results, Sabalenka will retain the world number one ranking. Rybakina, who won the Australian Open this season, remains in the second position, the same as last year.

Mertens, meanwhile, advances to the round of 16 where she will face Czech player Marie Bouzkova. Bouzkova defeated Russia's Liudmila Samsonova in her own third-round match with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.