Naomi Osaka blew a golden opportunity to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time as the Japanese star was beaten by Russian world number 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Friday.
Osaka was in a strong position after taking the first set on Court Two, but her bid to finally make the last 16 imploded as Pavlyuchenkova battled back to clinch a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
The 27-year-old is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but she has not won a major since 2021.
Into 4R for the first time in nine years 🤝
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova comes from a set down to defeat Naomi Osaka 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on No.2 Court 💥#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/0ZwgDsYVc5
Osaka's four previous appearances at Wimbledon ended in two third-round defeats and losses in the first and second round.
Once again she fell short at the grass-court Grand Slam.
Since her triumph at the Australian Open four years ago, she is on a dismal run of 12 successive Grand Slam appearances without reaching the fourth round.
Osaka, 27, gave birth to a daughter in July 2023, returning from a 15-month sabbatical for the start of the 2024 season.
The former world No 1, now down to 53rd in the WTA rankings, has always struggled on grass.
Earlier this week, Osaka admitted she had feared playing on the surface for much of her career.
"I don't know, with age fear kind of crept along and, I guess, paralysed me in a way," she said.
"Now I'm kind of just getting over that and trying to spread my wings on grass."
Osaka's wings were clipped by Pavlyuchenkova in a rollercoaster clash.
The Japanese star quickly raced into a 4-1 lead and clinched the first set with an ace.
Pavlyuchenkova levelled the match with a blistering forehand on set point in the second set.
Osaka left the court to compose herself before the final set, but she was broken in the second game and fell 3-0 down.
Faced with elimination, Osaka battled back, winning three consecutive games, only to crumble as Pavlyuchenkova pounced when the pressure mounted.
"I felt like I was behind for the majority of the match, so I played point-by-point. I'm incredibly happy because I was mentally tough in the three matches that I have won," said the Russian.
"I'm usually not so good on grass. The majority of you were cheering for Naomi today but it's OK. As I said, I'm mentally tough."
AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPION KEYS STUNNED
Australian Open champion Madison Keys became the latest star to crash out as the American sixth seed was stunned by Laura Siegemund.
Keys slumped to a 6-3, 6-3 loss against the German world number 104 in the third round on Court Two.
"Siegemund stuns Keys." 🤯
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
The 37-year-old takes down the No.6 seed 6-3, 6-3 to reach a Grand Slam singles fourth round for the first time 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Psh6Vh5dvb
The 30-year-old is the fifth player among the top six seeds in the women's draw to suffer a surprise exit from this year's tournament.
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen had already bowed out, though world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still alive.
Keys, who beat Sabalenka to clinch her maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne in January, is yet to make it past the quarterfinals in 11 visits to the All England Club.
She made 31 unforced errors in a lacklustre display against Siegemund.
It was a miserable way to spend the fourth of July for Keys while her compatriots celebrated the Independence Day holiday back in the United States.
Siegemund, who beat former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in the second round, is through to the Wimbledon last 16 for the first time.
At 37, she is the oldest player left in the women's tournament, with her best Grand Slam singles run coming when she made the French Open quarterfinals in 2020.
"When you beat a great player like Madison you have to be really happy," said Siegemund. "I managed to keep my nerve in the end. If you don't have nerves in this moment you are probably dead.
"It was a big opportunity. You just take a deep breath and remember your strategy.
"All the girls on the tour are perfectionists. I'm the same but there was no pressure for me. I don't feel like I need to prove anything anymore."
KARTAL CLAIMS BIGGEST WIN OF HER LIFE
Britain's Sonay Kartal surged into the fourth round for the first time with a remarkable turnaround performance against French qualifier Diane Parry as she won nine games in a row to come from 4-1 down to triumph 6-4 6-2.
Parry, who hammered 12th seed Diana Shnaider in the last round, was in control early on butthe Briton eventually got to grips with the challenge and, roared on by a partisan Number One court crowd, began an unstoppable comeback that secured the first set and put her 4-0 up in the second.
Parry’s spirit seemed to have disappeared along with her accuracy and the 23-year-old battling Briton took full advantage with a relentless forehand fusillade to claim the biggest victory of her injury-hit career.
The show must go on 🤩
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
Sonay Kartal is into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after defeating Diane Parry 6-4, 6-2 on No.1 Court 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/aaie8y1KQz
"I think everyone saw that I started off pretty nervous – it’s definitely the biggest and most meaningful stage that I've played on," Kartal said.
"I've got a lot of people here and I really wanted to do them proud and do myself proud."
When Kartal upset 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the first round on Monday it launched a great day for Britain with an Open Era record seven players advancing, and another three on Tuesday.
Four days later only her and Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie remain, and the former US Open champion and regular junior rival of Kartal's faces a huge challenge to also progress to the fourth when she faces world number one Aryna Sabalenka later.
For a while it did not look as if Kartal would have a chance of making a first Grand Slam last 16 appearance as Parry made a composed and confident start.
The Frenchwoman’s low, skiddy backhand slice proved really challenging for the diminutive Briton and she was looking in command at 4-1 up.
Parry then saved three break points in the sixth game, only for Kartal to succeed on a fourth and that proved the turning point of the entire match.
With the crowd loving the fightback she looked visibly lifted and more mobile and set about a remarkable run of games, hitting harder and deeper and forcing Parry into ever-more desperate defence.
In a flash she had claimed the set and was 4-0 up in the second and, even though Parry eventually stemmed the flow, it was merely a delay in proceedings.
Kartal has enjoyed a great year and will now move into the world's top 50, saying consistency has been the key.
"I was doing a lot of good things on the practice court and I was playing with a lot of freedom and I always trusted that eventually it would transfer onto the match court," she said.
"With every match, every week that I'm playing the bigger events, I'm growing more confident as a player and as a person."
LUCKY LOSER SIERRA'S FAIRYTALE CONTINUES
Solana Sierra continued to make the most of her good fortune at Wimbledon as the Argentine became the first lucky loser to move into the fourth round of the grasscourt Grand Slam since tennis turned professional in 1968.
The 21-year-old squandered a match point and crashed in the final round of qualifying to Australia's Talia Gibson, but went into the main draw at the very last moment when Belgium's Greet Minnen pulled out and she has not looked back since.
After seeing off Australia's Olivia Gadecki and stunning local favourite Katie Boulter, she came through a challenging test against Spain's Cristina Bucsa to win 7-5 1-6 6-1 and dropped to the ground in celebration.
From lucky loser to the fourth round!
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
Argentina's Solana Sierra defeats Cristina Bucsa 7-5, 1-6, 6-1 to book her spot in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/4jlXNDaetN
Sierra, who looked at her team in disbelief for several moments as she sat on the turf after match point, will pick up a cheque worth at least £240 000 for her surprise run.
She meets Siegemund in the next round.
ANISIMOVA REACHES LAST 16
American Amanda Anisimova became the first American through to the last-16with a 6-3 5-7 6-3 defeat of Hungary's Dalma Galfi.
Not that the 13th seed was too impressed by her Independence Day display on a sunny Court Three.
"It was an incredibly tough match but I kept fighting," the 23-year-old, one of five American women to reach the third round, said on court.
"I think the quality wasn't that great today but I will hit the practice courts tomorrow."
Anisimova advances ➡️
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
Amanda Anisimova defeats Dalma Galfi 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to move into the fourth round of The Championships 2025 🇺🇸#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/IlLBRUBFca
Anisimova, a quarterfinalist in 2022, secured the decisive break of serve in the first set with a stunning lob to lead 5-3.
She had chances near the end of the second set too but was pegged back as 110th-ranked Galfi dug deep to break serve at 5-6 and set up a decider.
Anisimova let out a big scream as she broke serve early in the third set with a wrong-footing forehand and an even louder one when she saved a break point when leading 3-2.
Another break of serve put Anisimova in complete control but at 5-2 she double-faulted on break point down to give Galfi hope.
But it did not prove costly for the American who sealed the win a game later to move through.
SABALENKA SURVIVES
Aryna Sabalenka looked shaken and stirred as it appeared she would become the most high-profile name to join the mass exodus of seeds before her survival instincts kicked in to secure a 7-6(6) 6-4 third-round win over Emma Raducanu.
SABALENKA SHINES ✨
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
The world No.1 beats Emma Raducanu 7-6(6), 6-4 in a thrilling Centre Court battle#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/CFrWZd6NBN
Wimbledon fans are no strangers to floodlit blockbusters featuring British home favourites, with Andy Murray providing plenty of late-night thrills under a closed Centre Court roof during his stellar career.
On Friday, it was Raducanu's turn to provide all the drama as she surged to a 4-2 lead in the first set and was again up 4-1 in the second.
The 22-year-old kept her Belarusian opponent guessing with her breathtaking shot-making that earned her a break in the fifth game to the delight of the 15 000-strong crowd who roared on every Raducanu winner and cheered on every Sabalenka error.
Although Sabalenka, the sole survivor among the top six women's seeds, gained back the break, she was left shell-shocked when she missed seven set, and break, points at 5-4 on Raducanu's serve, with the Briton serving her way out of trouble.
At the eighth time of asking, in the tiebreak, Sabalenka finally silenced the crowd when she produced a stop volley to bag the set, her achievement being greeted by only a smattering of applause.
Raducanu, who has spent a long time in the tennis wilderness following her remarkable win at the US Open in 2021 as a qualifier, wanted to prove that she was back to her best by following up her win over 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova with victory over Sabalenka.
When she surged into a 4-1 lead in the second, and was one point away from taking a 5-1 lead, it seemed that she might pull off one of the most improbable wins against an opponent who has contested the last three Grand Slam finals.
But it was not meant to be as Sabalenka turned on the power to win the last five games and extinguish Raducanu's hopes of reaching the fourth round for the third time, with the Briton netting a service return on match point.
Are you not entertained?#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/LkZBWREBd2
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025
The top seed will next face Belgium's Elise Mertens.