LONDON — In a dramatic third-round clash at Wimbledon, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova was ousted by American No. 10 seed Emma Navarro in three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, marking another early exit for a recent women’s titleholder at the All England Club.
Krejcikova, who entered the tournament as the No. 17 seed, looked strong in the opening set but faded significantly as the match progressed. During a tense third set on No. 1 Court, the Czech star was visibly struggling. After Navarro broke serve to lead 3-2, Krejcikova requested a medical timeout, during which her blood pressure was checked. She consumed fluids and a banana in an effort to regain composure, while Navarro consulted with her coach in the stands.
Despite appearing physically drained — often hunched over with her hands on her knees between rallies — Krejcikova managed to immediately break back for 3-all. However, Navarro responded with another crucial break and held serve to go up 5-3. Just two games later, the American sealed the victory, sending the defending champion out of the tournament.
Though Krejcikova hit more winners — 34 to Navarro’s 13 — she also committed a staggering 53 unforced errors, compared to Navarro’s remarkably low count of 11. The match was largely dictated by Krejcikova’s high-risk, high-reward style, but her inconsistency ultimately proved costly.
With Krejcikova’s exit, the trend of frequent turnover in women’s champions at Wimbledon continues. If a new winner emerges this year, it will mark the ninth different women’s singles champion in the last nine editions of the Grand Slam. Serena Williams remains the last to successfully defend her title, having won back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.
The list of champions since then includes:
- 2017: Garbiñe Muguruza
- 2018: Angelique Kerber
- 2019: Simona Halep
- 2021: Ash Barty
- 2022: Elena Rybakina
- 2023: Marketa Vondrousova
- 2024: Barbora Krejcikova
Notably, several of these past winners — including Muguruza, Kerber, Halep, and Barty — have since retired. This year, both Vondrousova and Rybakina have already been eliminated, with Vondrousova exiting in the second round and Rybakina falling on Saturday as well.
Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam champion with her 2021 French Open title alongside last year’s Wimbledon crown, now joins a growing list of early casualties in this year’s unpredictable women’s draw.
Emma Navarro’s win cements her place among the final 16 and makes her one of only four top-10 seeds remaining in the women’s competition. She joins:
- No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Emma Raducanu in her third-round match on Friday,
- No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, and
- No. 8 Iga Swiatek, both of whom secured victories on Saturday.
With major names falling and a title wide open for the taking, Wimbledon 2025 continues to surprise at every turn.
