Written by Marcus
Wimbledon 2026 has sent a very clear message after week one: don’t trust the favourites. The men’s draw has stayed relatively tidy at the top — but the women’s side? Absolute chaos. All three top seeds are gone, and the world number 1 left Centre Court in a mood we haven’t seen in a long time.
Here’s everything that actually mattered heading into the quarterfinals — the upsets, the storylines, and the moments you’ll still be talking about.
You’d have to go back a long way to find a Grand Slam meltdown quite like this. Seeds 1, 2, and 3 in the women’s draw — all eliminated before the quarterfinals. Defending champion Iga Świątek (No. 3) fell to 21-year-old Alexandra Eala. Elena Rybakina (No. 2) lost to Elise Mertens. And then, in the round of 16, the biggest one: world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka went down to Naomi Osaka — her earliest Wimbledon exit since 2019.
Sabalenka didn’t exactly take it quietly. She smashed a ball into the stands on her way out, got booed for it, and then delivered one of the most brutally honest post-match quotes you’ll ever hear from a world number 1: “I just want to go out, get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and come back in better shape.” Honestly? Respect for the honesty, even if the ball-firing wasn’t a great look.
The emotional highlight of the week, though, belongs to Alexandra Eala. By beating the defending champion, the left-hander became the first player from the Philippines — male or female — to reach a Grand Slam round of 16. Her run ended against Jasmine Paolini (6-4, 4-6, 6-3), but that win over Świątek and the tearful interview that followed? That’s one of the images of this entire tournament. And the drama doesn’t stop there — Naomi Osaka is now into her first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal, where she faces Karolína Muchová. Meanwhile, the highest remaining seeds are Jessica Pegula (No. 4) and Coco Gauff (No. 7) — and they’re on a collision course with each other.
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Wimbledon 2026 Men’s Draw: Order at the Top — Just About
The men’s side tells a very different story. Jannik Sinner (No. 1) has been ruthless — straight sets, no seeded opponents yet, and he’s cruising into the quarterfinals like he owns the place. Félix Auger-Aliassime (No. 3) survived a five-set thriller to get there too, and now faces the man who just rewrote the record books: Novak Djokovic (No. 7) surpassed Roger Federer’s all-time record for Wimbledon singles wins with his round-of-16 victory — 106 and counting — and is still chasing that historic 25th Grand Slam title.
The bottom half of the draw, though? A mess — and a brilliant one. Alexander Bublik is out, beaten by the last American standing, Taylor Fritz (6-7, 4-6, 4-6). Alex de Minaur fell to Flavio Cobolli. Fritz is now into his third straight Wimbledon quarterfinal, which is a seriously underrated run. But the real headline? Wildcard Arthur Fery — a Brit — beat a returning Grigor Dimitrov in five sets to become the first wildcard to reach the men’s quarterfinals since Nick Kyrgios in 2014. Dimitrov’s comeback from injury ended in the cruellest way possible. With Carlos Alcaraz already gone through injury, this bottom half is guaranteed to produce a first-time Wimbledon finalist. One last round-of-16 match still to finish: French Open champion Alexander Zverev vs. Jiří Lehecka — the winner gets Fritz in the quarters.
Who is Arthur Fery, the local hero in the last eight?
The feel-good story of the men’s draw is British through and through. Wildcard Arthur Fery — 23 and raised barely five minutes from the All England Club — arrived ranked outside the top 100, yet he’s now the first wildcard to reach the men’s quarter-finals since Nick Kyrgios back in 2014. A former Stanford standout whose father Loïc chairs French football club FC Lorient, Fery outlasted the resurgent Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set thriller to get here. The twist: he’s already beaten his quarter-final opponent, Flavio Cobolli, at this year’s Australian Open — and a season that began with $328,000 in prize money has now handed him around $642,000 from these Championships alone.
What to Take Away from Week 1
Wimbledon 2026 has been unpredictable in the best possible way. The women’s draw is wide open after losing its entire top three — anyone left can genuinely win this thing. The men’s draw has Sinner looking dominant up top, but below him it’s anyone’s guess, with a British wildcard suddenly dreaming of a semifinal run. If week one taught us anything, it’s that the grass at SW19 doesn’t care about rankings or reputations. And honestly? That’s exactly why we love this tournament.
