There is one word to describe what happened in the first two rounds of Wimbledon 2025: Carnage. Nearly half of the combined top-10 seeds on the men's and women's sides are gone. The numbers two, three, four, and five seeds lost on the ladies' side.
The top-seeded men did only slightly better. 3-seed Alexander Zverev was bounced out in the first round, while 5-seed Taylor Fritz had to play back-to-back five-set matches to push through.
The top-seeded players remain at least, but even Carlos Alcaraz had to go five sets in his first-round match. Aryna Sabalenka has had an easier time, taking both of her first matches in straight sets. She is still on course to win her first Wimbledon title.
Who has been helped most on the women's side by the shocking early-round losses at Wimbledon?
But who is in the best shape, other than Sabalenka, on the women's side after shock losses by Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, and Zheng Qinwen? Perhaps one teenager, one former No. 1 trying to make a comeback, and a former Wimbledon champion.
The teenager, Mirra Andreeva, has already won two Masters 1000 tournaments this year, but was not a heavy favorite at the grass-court major. She might be now after 3-seed Pegula lost, and blew the frame open for the young Russian. Andreeva's toughest tests before the semifinals could come in the next two rounds.
She will take on hard-hitting American Hailey Baptiste in the third round, and if the Russian wins that, she will face either 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova or 10-seed Emma Navarro. Andreeva could be the favorite for her next several matches.
The draw is now WIDE OPEN 😱#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/uY4hQbA4CB
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) July 2, 2025
Former No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who has won the US Open twice and the Australian Open twice, but has never done well at Wimbledon, is playing some of her best tennis since she returned to the tour in 2024. If she continues her current form, she should feel extremely confident in all her matches until the quarterfinals.
The former Wimbledon champion is Elena Rybakina, whose best surface is likely grass. She should have been considered one of the favorites heading into the tournament, but after the losses of so many seeded players, the entire tournament opened up for her.
There is no player left in her quarterfinal bracket who can clearly test her. If she stays in form, she should reach at least the semifinals. From such an unlucky 2024 when she withdrew from double-digit tournaments, she might be the luckiest player on the women's side at Wimbledon 2025.