World number two Coco Gauff was eliminated from Wimbledon by fellow American Emma Navarro on Sunday, marking a significant upset as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz gear up for a highly anticipated semifinal showdown. Gauff’s 6-4, 6-3 defeat leaves only two of the top 10 women’s seeds remaining in the tournament. Meanwhile, Lulu Sun of New Zealand made history by becoming the first woman from her country to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals, and Madison Keys was forced to retire in tears during her match. Navarro, ranked 19th, achieved her first Grand Slam quarter-final with a victory over US Open champion Gauff.
Gauff, who reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year, continues to seek her first Wimbledon breakthrough since her notable debut at age 15 in 2019.
Her unexpected loss follows the surprising exit of world number one Iga Swiatek in the third round on Saturday.
“I think I played really aggressively. Coco’s an amazing player and I have a ton of respect for her,” said Navarro.
Only Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion ranked fourth, and Jasmine Paolini, currently ranked seventh, remain among the top 10 women.
Paolini will face Navarro in the quarter-finals.
Carlos Alcaraz, ranked third in the world, defeated French 16th seed Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to reach his ninth Grand Slam quarter-final in just 14 appearances.
However, it was a challenging day for the Spaniard, who needed five sets to defeat Frances Tiafoe in the third round.
Despite an inconsistent performance on Sunday, including five service breaks and 33 unforced errors, the 21-year-old managed to secure a crucial victory under the Centre Court roof after saving four break points in the second set’s fifth game.
Humbert fought back, breaking the champion three times in the third set as Alcaraz struggled to maintain his momentum.
However, Humbert conceded a service break in the 11th game of the fourth set, allowing Alcaraz to swiftly seal the match.
“Until the last ball, I’ll be there fighting,” said Alcaraz, who is vying for his fourth Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz will next face American 12th seed Tommy Paul, who defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.
On Court One, top seed Jannik Sinner advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (11/9) victory over American 14th seed Ben Shelton.
Sinner, who secured his first Slam title at this year’s Australian Open, will confront Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in the semi-finals, a rematch of their Melbourne final.
“It was a challenging match, especially the third set where I had to save several set points,” said Sinner, a 2023 semi-finalist.
Medvedev advanced to the quarter-finals after 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov retired in their last-16 match’s first set due to a knee injury.
Sun created history for New Zealand by defeating Emma Raducanu in three sets, dashing British hopes of crowning a women’s champion after a 47-year wait.
Ranked 123rd, the 23-year-old qualifier recorded 52 winners against Raducanu, who took a medical timeout in the third set for ankle and back issues.
“It was a tough match against Emma. I really dug deep to secure the win,” said Sun.
Sun will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic, ranked 37th, who advanced with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Spain’s Paula Badosa, aided by 33 winners.
“It’s a sad situation,” said American 12th seed Keys, who was one game away from her third All England Club quarter-final before retiring against Paolini.
After losing the first set, Keys rallied to level the match at 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).
However, she sustained a left leg injury in the eighth game of the deciding set, prompting a medical timeout at 5-4, after which she returned with her left leg bandaged but severely restricted mobility, leading to her tearful exit at 5-5.
“I’m very sorry for her; it’s a sad moment,” said Paolini, the French Open runner-up who had never won a grass-court match until two weeks ago.
