In a surprising turn of events at Wimbledon, last year’s finalist Jasmine Paolini faced elimination in the second round, losing to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Paolini, seeded fourth, is now among a quartet of top-five seeds departing early, joining the likes of second-seeded Coco Gauff, third-seeded Jessica Pegula, and fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen, all of whom were ousted in the first round.
The tournament has witnessed a staggering number of upsets, with a total of 23 seeds—13 men and 10 women—failing to reach the second round. This marks the highest number of early exits at a Grand Slam since the introduction of a 32-player seeding system in 2001.
As day three progressed, additional surprises unfolded in the women’s draw. Twelfth-seeded Diana Shnaider was knocked out by Diane Parry (6-4, 6-1), while 22nd-seeded Donna Vekic, who reached the semi-finals with Paolini last year, fell to Cristina Busca (6-1, 6-3).
After finalist performances at both the French Open and Wimbledon in the previous year, Paolini has struggled to advance past the fourth round in any Grand Slam since then. Rakhimova, on the other hand, is celebrating her first victory over a top-10 player. Commenting on her strategy, she stated, “I try not to think about the opponent and try to focus on my game. It worked for me. I just pretend like I’m playing a normal girl, not the No.4 in the world.”
This is only Rakhimova’s second appearance at Wimbledon, with her previous outing ending in the first round in 2023. Overall, the 23-year-old has only reached the third round in two of her 13 Grand Slam appearances.
Due to inclement weather, several matches on the day were delayed as the tournament was impacted by poor lighting. As the action continues, all eyes will be on Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who is set to face off against Arthur Cazaux later in the evening, a match available for viewing on Nine and Stan.