Kazakhstan's top tennis player Elena Rybakina (2) failed to reach the fourth round of the Wimbledon tournament, which she won in 2022. The 27-year-old lost to world No. 27 Elise Mertens of Belgium – 6:7 (4:7), 1:6. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The crisis in Rybakina's game is evident. After victories at the Australian Open 2026 and the WTA 500 clay tournament in Stuttgart, the Kazakhstani's results have been far from perfect. For several months, Rybakina has been unsuccessfully searching for her game, but defeats follow one after another, especially against players with lower rankings.
The latest failure at Wimbledon is particularly disappointing given that Rybakina had a 7:1 head-to-head record against Mertens.
Numerous unforced errors and, as a result, a lack of confidence led to the Kazakhstani faltering in crucial moments of the match.
After recovering a break in the first set, Rybakina led on the tiebreak but squandered her advantage and lost 4:7.
In the second set, nothing worked for the Kazakhstani. A catastrophe similar to the one in the first round match against France's Lois Boisson occurred. Rybakina had lost the second set to the world No. 154 with a score of 1:6.
At that time, Rybakina had a third set in reserve. Against Mertens, there was nothing to hope for. 6:7 (4:7), 1:6 in 1 hour 35 minutes. Rybakina exits Wimbledon.
Today, two more representatives of Kazakh tennis will play at Wimbledon. Alexander Bublik will play his third-round match. His head-to-head record against Frances Tiafoe of the USA is 2:2. Anna Danilina, paired with Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic, will compete for a place in the fourth round against the Ukrainian pair Angelina Kalinina/Dayana Yastremska.
The Wimbledon Championships 2026 are taking place in London from June 29 to July 12. It is the third Grand Slam tournament of the season and the only one on grass.
The prize fund is £64.2 million. Champions and finalists in singles receive £3.6 million and £1.8 million, respectively.
The main draw of Wimbledon, like the other three majors, includes 128 players in singles, 64 pairs in doubles, and 32 pairs in mixed doubles.
The reigning Wimbledon champions are Italy's Jannik Sinner (1) and Iga Swiatek (3) of Poland. Sinner defeated American Jenson Brooksby (81) 6:4, 6:3, 6:4 to reach the fourth round. Swiatek defeated Czech Karolina Pliskova (73) 6:1, 6:3 in the second round.