Former champion Elena Rybakina crashed out of Wimbledon on Saturday

London (AFP) - Former champion Elena Rybakina became the latest star to suffer a shock Wimbledon exit losing to Denmark’s Clara Tauson 7-6 (⁸⁄₆), 6-3 on Saturday.

Rybakina, the Kazakh 11th seed, won her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022 and had reached the semi-finals last year.

But the 26-year-old’s hopes of another strong run were ended by 23rd-seeded Tauson in a third-round tie on Court Two.

Complaining about the decision to schedule her away from the two main show courts – which both have roofs – Rybakina said two rain delays during the match did not help her performance.

“I expected probably Court One, but when I saw that it’s Court Two, I mean, nothing I can do in this situation, of course. It’s much nicer to play on Court One or Centre, but there are still a lot of seeded players,” she said.

“If there is a roof, of course, it’s much easier because you know that you won’t stop. Again, it was the same for me and for her. That’s for sure difference from Court One or Centre Court.

“For me it was a bit tough today since the court was a bit softer under than the other courts, and all her drop shots and just slices were working well. It was tough to adjust.”

Rybakina, who reached the Australian Open final in 2023, joins a long list of high seeds to crash out of the women’s tournament.

Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Zheng Qinwen and Madison Keys all suffered upsets earlier in the week.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka is the last of the top six seeds still standing at the All England Club.

Rybakina’s defeat continues a disappointing year for the former world number three, who has failed to make it past the last 16 at the three Grand Slams.

Tauson is through to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for only the second time, and the first time since last year’s French Open.

The 22-year-old, a former junior world number one whose promising career has been hampered by injuries, had lost in the first round on her three previous main draw appearances at Wimbledon.