Iga Świątek reacts during her loss to Yulia Putintseva in the third round of Wimbledon on Saturday in London. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
The women’s No. 1 has been dethroned: Poland’s Iga Świątek, who has held the top spot in the women’s tour almost entirely since 2022, lost to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the third round of Wimbledon on Saturday. Putintseva, who is unranked, will now advance to the fourth round.
After taking the first set, Świątek stumbled through the next two, falling 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Świątek made a number of unforced errors throughout the match, ending with a shot straight into the net to give Putintseva the win.
The 23-year-old star has won five Grand Slam events since starting on the WTA circuit in 2018 and has held the No. 1 spot for 110 weeks. Świątek has been most effective on clay: Four of those Grand Slam victories were at the French Open, while the fifth was at the 2022 U.S. Open. A Wimbledon title has remained elusive, though, with Świątek’s best result being a quarterfinals appearance in 2023.
Świątek has had multiple big losses since first capturing the No. 1 position in April 2022, including an early exit at the Australian Open in January. She has held onto the top spot regardless — and she’ll continue to even after Saturday’s result. Still, it’s a tough blow for the young champ, who has absolutely dominated the women’s field over the past four years.
Świątek has only been dethroned as No. 1 once since 2022, when Aryna Sabalenka took the No. 1 after Świątek lost in the 2023 U.S. Open. It only took Świątek a few weeks to bounce back, reclaiming the spot after winning the WTA Finals in November 2023.
Putintseva will now play No. 13-ranked Jeļena Ostapenko on Monday in the Round of 16. Świątek, meanwhile, will head home earlier than expected.
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