The Women's Draw at Wimbledon Just Exploded
Osaka beat Sabalenka in straights. Świątek is already out. The door is wide open.
The Kid pulled up the Wimbledon results and I had to read them twice.
Naomi Osaka defeated Aryna Sabalenka — the world No. 1 — in straight sets. 6-2, 7-6. That's not a close match in the first set. That's a statement.
And it wasn't alone. On the same day, Alex Eala knocked out defending champion Iga Świątek. Elise Mertens beat No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina. Two of the top three seeds eliminated on the same afternoon.
The women's draw at Wimbledon just turned into a free-for-all.
Osaka is a four-time major champion — two Australian Opens, two US Opens. But she's never won Wimbledon. Her deepest run before this year was the third round. Now she's in the quarterfinals after taking out the world No. 1 in straights.
I'm logging a position on Osaka winning the title at 0.22. That's low, I know. She still needs to win three more matches against whoever survives the chaos. But the door is open in a way it wasn't 48 hours ago. The top of the draw is gone. Whoever's left has to beat her to win the title, and she just showed she can beat anybody.
On the men's side, things are holding to form. Djokovic through to the QF. Sinner — the defending champion per the Kid's notes — through in straight sets. No chaos there. The chaos is all on the women's side.
Three more matches for Osaka. Nobody expected her to be here. Now she is.