Elena Rybakina‘s chase for the No.1 ranking came to a stop after the World No.2 faced a shocking loss to Elise Mertens. Fans, who were amused at the result were quick to point out that reaching the top of the rankings was not easy, especially given the Kazakhs’ indifferent form on the grass in recent months.

Going into Wimbledon, Rybakina had a mathematical opportunity to topple Sabalenka as the World No.1, with the Kazakh needing at least a quarterfinal run. The catch, however, was that Sabalenka also needed to lose in the fourth round. In a blockbuster potential final, if the two met, then it would have been a winner-take-all contest.

With Rybakina already beating Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final this year and being a former Wimbledon champion, the Kazakh had a decent chance of bridging the gap. Still, her hopes came crashing down after the loss, with fans critical of her Tour-level consistency.

Coming into the match, Rybakina was the favorite, as she was the higher-ranked player who had won a Slam this year and had a terrific grass-court game, which had helped her win the title at Wimbledon four years ago. The match started competitively, with both players holding serve until 3-3 in the first set. Mertens did have inroads against the dangerous Rybakina service game, breaking the second seed twice, but on both occasions the Kazakh got the breaks back and took the set to a tiebreak.

This is where Mertens showed her composure and experience, whereas Rybakina faltered. At 3-3 in the tiebreak, the second seed made two forehand errors and a double fault, handing back the advantage to the Belgian, who won the tiebreak 7-4. If there were any hopes of a Rybakina revival, they were quickly gone as Mertens quickly built a 5-1 lead. While serving for the match, she faced resistance from Rybakina, who had break points and saved match points, but it was the Belgian who held serve and closed out the match.

As soon as the upset was complete, fans took to social media, pointing out that Sabalenka was the more consistent player and that Rybakina had fluffed a great opportunity to become the No. 1.

Fans Blame Rybakina’s Consistency After Shock Wimbledon Loss

Fans were quickly critical after Rybakina’s loss against Mertens, with them comparing the consistency between Rybakina and Sabalenka. While Rybakina has won a Grand Slam this year, the Mertens loss was already her eleventh, with the World No.2 having a 4-4 win-loss record since the French Open. On the other hand, even though Sabalenka has yet to win a Slam, she has won 36 of her 41 matches this year.

“Lol. Rybakina is who people were sure would become no.1 after Wimby. Don’t joke on Aryna’s consistency. No matter how good Elena is at her peak, she is just never consistent enough nor can be all year round. It is what it is. Kudos to what Aryna does to stay up”, said a fan, with another fan even stating, “Rybakina doesn’t deserve to be world No.1 and I’m glad that she will never be”.

Since Swiatek became the No.1 in 2022, the women’s No.1 ranking has been a duopoly between the Pole and Sabalenka, a dominance that Rybakina could have broken at Wimbledon. “Huge upset! Rybakina had a chance to be the next World #1, it’s been only Swiatek or Sabalenka for 4 & 1/2 years! Now the Keys/Anisimova match is very important!”, said a fan.

Rybakina and her coach, Vukov, have had a controversial dynamic that has made tennis headlines over the last two years, with the two engaging in a brief confrontation during the second seed’s opening match against Lois Boisson. However, as one fan pointed out, the Mertens loss was on Ryabkina’s shoulders, not her coach’s. “At this point, it’s likely not the coach. It’s rybakina herself. she is just a loony lovegood”, said the fan.

Another fan cited the hectic schedule, noting that Rybakina had already played 46 matches this season, and suggested a small break might help the Kazakh regain her touch, which helped her win the title in Melbourne. “Rybakina actually looked defeated even before she stepped on court. At this point, a break will do her a world of good”, said the fan.

With the second seed out, the bottom half becomes open at Wimbledon, with the likes of Sabalenka and Gauff in the top half having excellent chances of clinching the title.