Four Top-Five Women Seeds Out Early at Wimbledon

Jasmine Paolini, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up and current fourth seed, was upset in the second round by unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova, marking Rakhimova’s first top-10 victory and her best Grand Slam showing. Paolini attributed her defeat to fatigue and lapses in focus, promising to mentally reset for the rest of the season. Her early exit continues a wave of upsets that has seen top-five seeds Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Zheng Qinwen also fall in the opening rounds. Only world number one Aryna Sabalenka remains among the top five seeds in the women's draw. The tournament now features a record 23 seeded players—13 men and 10 women—failing to reach the second round since the 32-seed era began. Emma Raducanu will face Sabalenka in a marquee third-round matchup.