In a series of seismic upsets that have precipitated a complete shakeup of the Wimbledon 2026 draw, defending champion Iga Swiatek and former winner Elena Rybakina were unceremoniously ousted in the third round on July 4, 2026, while British wildcard Arthur Fery authored a jaw-dropping comeback to reach the fourth round, as chronicled by USA Today.

The most staggering result came on Centre Court, where Swiatek, who captured her first Wimbledon crown last year with a merciless 6-0, 6-0 thumping of Amanda Anisimova, was dethroned by 21-year-old Alexandra Eala. The tenacious Filipina star secured a thrilling 7-6 (9), 6-2 victory, making history as the first tennis player from the Philippines, male or female, to reach the fourth round of any Grand Slam singles tournament. Eala will next face Jasmine Paolini, while Swiatek is poised to drop out of the top 10 for the first time since May 2021.

In the women's draw, the upheaval continued as second seed Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and recent Australian Open victor, was upset by 25th seed Elise Mertens. The Belgian demolished the Kazakh star 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Court No 1, avenging a six-match losing streak against Rybakina. Mertens will now face Naomi Osaka in the round of 16, while Aryna Sabalenka is guaranteed to retain her No. 1 ranking regardless of the tournament's outcome.

Meanwhile, on the men's side, Arthur Fery delivered a herculean performance to defeat Belgium's Zizou Bergs in a grueling five-set thriller (2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5)). Overcoming a series of debilitating nosebleeds that caused significant delays, Fery became the first British wild card to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since 1993. He will next face Grigor Dimitrov, keeping the home singles hopes alive in a tournament otherwise depleted of British men.