The women’s event at Wimbledon is starting to remind of the men’s at the French Open. That’s when Jannik Sinner’s second-round ouster — and plenty of other upsets — through the tournament into disarray at a very early hour.
At the All-England Club, the women’s trophy was seemingly up for grabs before the fortnight even began.
Now it’s completely wide open.
As of Sunday night, a bunch of top title threats have already said so long to London. Among those who have lost are No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 3 Iga Swiatek, No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 8 Elina Svitolina.
Rybakina, Swiatek, and Anisimova all crashed out on Saturday, suffering respective setbacks against Elise Mertens, Alexandra Eala, and Madison Keys. Sabalenka followed on Sunday, taking a 6-2, 7-6(2) loss at he hands of Naomi Osaka.
The bottom half of the draw, which will play the fourth. round on Monday, has produced especially surprising results. No. 9 Linda Noskova is the highest remaining seed among the eight players who are still vying for a spot in the final. Interestingly, however, there is just one unseeded woman still standing: Ashlyn Krueger. In other words, almost all of the lower-seeded entrants have taken care of business; it is the very top players who have crumbled.
Well, not all of the top players. Americans Jessica Pegula (fourth seed) and Coco Gauff (seventh) both secured their spots in the last eight on Sunday, posting respective wins over Iva Jovic and Belinda Bencic.
Both Pegula and Gauff are among a whole host of women who have a very realistic shot at the trophy. Heck, everyone left in the draw should feel like they have a chance. It is Osaka, however, who is now the odds-on title favorite.
And what does the Japanese veteran think of those suddenly huge expectations?
“I think I’m actually quite good at shutting out outside noise,” Osaka said during her post-match press conference following her win over Sabalenka. “Obviously, everyone around me knows how well I can play. For me, that’s the most important thing — is just me building confidence in myself. Whatever happens is kind of like outside noise. I don’t need to pay attention to it. I just need to focus on the things that I can do.”
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.