Wimbledon: Defending champion leaves in tears
Czech Barbora Krejcikova, the reigning Wimbledon champion and third-ranked Grand Slam champion, was eliminated in the third round on Saturday, losing to American Emma Navarro 6-2, 3-6, 4-6.
Despite leading the first set, Krejcikova, the world number 16 and also the 2021 Roland Garros champion, collapsed against tenth-seeded Navarro, who set up a quarterfinal clash with seventh-seeded Russian Mira Andreeva.
Krejcikova appeared to be suffering from an injury in the closing stages of the match and cried on court, while Navarro seized the opportunity to pull off another upset, after five of the top six seeds had already been eliminated.
The 29-year-old Czech had to come from a set down to beat rising star Alexandra Ayala of the Philippines in the first round, before winning again in three sets against American Caroline Dalehyde in the second. Krejcikova easily won the first set, but lost her rhythm in the second, opening the way for Navarro to level at 1-1.
Krejcikova took a long time to regain her composure before the decider, but she quickly squandered five break points and then dropped serve in the third game.
Leaning on her racket with a disturbing smile after an unforced error, the Czech's fitness level was clearly declining. She managed to break Navarro's serve in the next game, but the latter immediately regained the lead with another, prompting a medical timeout that included a blood pressure check.
Even another break didn't work in her favor, as Navarro quickly responded with another before sealing the victory, while Krejcikova left the court, struggling to hold back tears.