Wimbledon has seen a vast number of upsets this year, but there have been no Open-era Grand Slams quite like the way the 2025 version of the grass-court major has unfolded.
Because of so many top-10 seeded players losing early. Aryna Sabalenka wasn't just put in a position to not have to play Coco Gauff again (she lost to Gauff in the final of the French Open), but only three other top-10 seeds were still in the running by the fourth round.
None of them were in the top seven. The carnage was real and the question was whether Sabalenka, who had not yet made a Wimbledon final and had to bow out in 2024 due to an injury, could take advantage. Her fourth-round opponent, Elise Mertens, was not going to make it easy.
Aryna Sabalenka defeats Elise Mertens in the fourth round at Wimbledon
In the first set, each player got a break and the set appeared to be headed toward a tie-break until Sabalenka got another break to take the set 6-4. The Belarusian was also playing clean tennis and had 13 winners versus six unforced errors.
Mertens was not playing poorly, however. Her forehand was electric and she didn't seem to miss from that wing. She was also able to stay close in the match by building points to force Sabalenka to hit to Mertens's forehand.
In the second set, Mertens got a break to lead 3-1, mostly based on how well she was striking the ball. Sabalenka needed to find a way to hit to Mertens's backhand more often, or hope that the 29-year-old Belgian dropped in form.
This appeared to happen, too, as the WTA No. 1 was able to get the break back and then held serve dominantly in the next game. Sabalenka was not able to take advantage of a 40-15 lead with Mertens serving, though, and the Belgian evened the set at 4-all. A wicked forehand by the Belarusian barely missed, which would have sealed the break.
The set went to a tie-break as each player kept performing at a high level but Sabalenka was able to win several points off Mertens serve and take the tie-break 7-4. The Belarusian finished with 36 winners and 18 unforced errors, while Mertens did well with 25 and 18, respectively.
Sabalenka's game should translate well to tennis as she has a huge serve and can play the net fairly well, but she doesn't move as well as some others. She does have the ability to power past others, though, and if she was going to win in London, that is how she was going to do it. She will next play 37-year-old Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.