Mertens Stuns Second-Ranked Rybakina for Wimbledon Fourth Round Return
Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, July 4, 2026
Photo credit: Glynn Kirk/AFP/Getty
Wimbledon—Pure physicality can make major showdowns resemble boxing matches without violence.
Treated like a personal punching bag by Elena Rybakina in their past matches, Elise Mertens struck back in massive fashion today.
Slamming an ace out wide, Mertens scored one of the biggest knockouts of her career stunning 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina 7-6(4), 6-1 to reach her fourth Wimbledon fourth round.
It is Mertens’ first career Top 10 win on grass—and her first win over Rybakina in five years snapping a six-match losing streak.
“Definitely one of the biggest wins of my career—especially here at Wimbledon,” Mertens told Annabel Croft afterward. “I’m just very, very pleased about my performance today.
“It’s the most iconic tournament, the most iconic venue. So much history, especially on this court. I’m taking it all in today.”
World No. 2 Rybakina, who arrived at The Championships needing to make at least the quarterfinals to have a shot of surpassing Aryna Sabalenka for the world No. 1 ranking, trudged off No. 1 Court suffering her second straight third-round exit after bowing to Clara Tauson last year.
Though Rybakina, the first woman since Serena Williams in 2004 to reach the round of 32 in her first six Wimbledon appearances, has an impressive grass-court resume, Mertens beat the big hitter to the punch time and time again. Rybakina, who looked lethargic as the match progressed, betrayed her own cause committing 31 unforced errors, including six double faults.
“I got pretty many opportunities in the first set to break,” said Rybakina, who was 2 of 10 on break-point chances today. “I lost my serve very easily with too many double faults overall for the match, and also
percentage of the serve. And yeah, the first serve was not really working for me today.
“I feel like the energy could have been better. So yeah, a lot of things which I’m not happy with.”
At times, the net loomed as large as the walls wrapping around the All England Club as Rybakina struggled to clear the net.
Make no mistake: Mertens won this match more than Rybakina lost it.
Blown out by Rybakina, 6-1, 6-3 in the Australian Open fourth round in January, Mertens gained major revenge today.
“I think in Melbourne, it was difficult to do anything against her. She eventually won that tournament,” Mertens said. “She won the Grand Slam there. I was like, Okay, I lost against her there.
“I lost against second round against someone who played the finals in French Open. I was like, Okay, let’s go now. But I think I was more steady, more ready for the bigger shots from her. I think I moved well today. Neutralized the ball a little bit better than at the beginning of the year. I think, yeah, I made it more difficult for her.”
In a match between reigning Australian Open singles champion Rybakina and AO doubles title holder Mertens, the Belgian played with strong self belief, slid slithering slices off both wings forcing the 6’ Kazakh to bend low and played more consistent combinations throughout. Mertens hit seven more winners—19 to 12—and broke one of the game’s biggest serves four times, including two breaks in a row in the final set.
“It’s a beautiful court to play at. I had some great memories already from last year there, too. So some good energy,” said Mertens, who partnered Veronika Kudermetova to the 2025 Wimbledon ladies’ doubles championship. “Yeah, I mean, she’s a tough opponent. I mean, the history is on her side here. No, I’m very pleased about the performance.
“Very happy that I could eventually win that first set. I mean, it was a little bit up and down at the
end. Close it out with a good serve. Yeah, I think I had the momentum there. I know I had to
keep my focus, especially at the beginning of the second set. But yeah, really wanted to win. Really had the fire in me today.
“I think, yeah, I’m happy that I could close it out eventually on that 5-1 with another good serve.”
A two-time Wimbledon doubles champion, Mertens is comfortable in all areas of the court and knows how to close at net. Consistency is an essential element of the Belgian’s game and she applied it, locking down to coax Rybakina into lower-percentage drives down the line that were expiring into the net with greater frequency as the second set progressed.
An astute Mertens saw the former champion was twitchy and wisely made her play while still asserting her aggression at the right times.
The second-seeded Rybakina double faulted into net to face three set points at 3-6 in the first-set tiebreaker. After double faulting on her first set point, Mertens closed the opening set when Rybakina missed her favored backhand.
Trying to summon the strength for a second-set rally, the Australian Open champion slapped a shot into the tape as Mertens broke again for a 3-1 second-set lead.
A clinical Mertens backed up the break at love using her favored slice forehand down the line eliciting a netted Rybakina reply. That miscue helped the Belgian go up 4-1.
A rainbow lob from the Belgian sent Rybakina scurrying back on defense. Though she got it back in play, Mertens skimmed the net with a smash for Love-30, then smacked her signature shot, the backhand down the line, for triple break point.
When Rybakina hit her sixth double fault into the tape, No. 1 court fans collectively groaned in sympathy as Mertens scored her fourth break for 5-1.
The finish line was in sight.
Still, it wasn’t an entirely smooth trip through the tape.
Saving four break points in the final game, Mertens then swept a clean forehand strike down the line for match point.
Going all in on a second serve, Mertens narrowly missed the center stripe to drop down to deuce again. When Rybakina sailed a backhand, a fired up Mertens turned to her box and bellowed “Come on!” collecting a second match point.
Digging in, Rybakins denied it with a backhand down the line. Earning another break point, Rybakina’s backhand down the line nearly missed the doubles alley as the game waged on toward 10 minutes.
When the former champion poked a forehand approach deep, Mertens earned a third match point.
Gazing at the service box, Mertens slashed her fourth ace right off the sideline sending the former champion packing and blowing up the bottom quarter of the draw.
Sporting green fingernail polish, a beaming Mertens was still smiling as she walked through the club high-fiving both lines of ball kids greeting her.
Elise’s excellent adventure continues. Mertens will meet either 21st-seeded Marie Bouzkova or hard-hitting Liudmila Samsonova for a maiden quarterfinal spot.
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