'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwT/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAALvOSgP/xAAkEAABAwMBCQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMFBBITAAYHERQVIjEyQv/aAAgBAQABPwCs2Loa9IqNR0wGvM2zMhEsQtM32tJ8opD4Xj7an93DPXpLDKPttcy5YGEO1Ll1/8QAGBEBAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgABAxH/2gAIAQIBAT8AWRSvs//EABcRAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAhL/2gAIAQMBAT8Ad1k//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Day 3 of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships saw high-voltage action and some shocking results, including the ouster of Casper Ruud. He was among many big stars in action at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 4.
The day featured a second-round match in the singles category for half of the men's and women's singles draw. Men's singles top seed Jannik Sinner emerged victorious in his battle of Italians against former finalist Matteo Berrettini. Meanwhile, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz had an easy win against Aleksandar Vukic.
On the women's side, Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff advanced to the third round with thumping victories. However, Sloane Stephens and Naomi Osaka did not survive their second-round contest. Day 3 also produced some unexpected results.
Trending
With that said, let's take a look at the six most shocking results from Day 3 of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships:
#6 Christopher Eubanks
This year's grass swing has been a complete reversal for Christopher Eubanks from 12 months ago. In 2023, the American won his maiden tour-level title at the Mallorca Championships and reached his first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Wimbledon Championships. A year later, he failed to defend his title in Mallorca and had the hard task of defending the bulk of his ranking points in London.
Unfortunately for Eubanks, his campaign at Wimbledon came to the earliest conclusion possible as he lost to Quentin Halys in the first round. The Frenchman controlled the contest from the get-go and broke Eubanks four times through the match to register a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win. Halys fired 12 aces past Eubanks, did not face a single breakpoint on his serve, and lost only two points on his first serve.
Christopher Eubanks will drop outside the top 125 of the ATP Rankings after his loss at Wimbledon.
#5 Tallon Griekspoor
Tallon Griekspoor began his grass swing on the 2024 ATP Tour with a semifinal finish at the Libema Open, his home tournament, and gave Jannik Sinner the run for his money at the Terra Wortmann Open. He was expected to carry that same form and passion at the Wimbledon Championships, where he was seeded No. 26.
The Dutchman looked in his element while dispatching Daniel Elahi Galen in the first round in straight sets. This set up a clash against Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round. Griekspoor continued his great form in the first set as he broke his Serbian rival twice to take the first set. Kecmanovic fought back to take the second set via a tiebreaker.
Griekspoor once again restored his lead after losing just one game in the third set and looked set for his maiden third-round appearance at SW19. However, Kecmanovic had other plans. The Serb took advantage of the Dutchman's lapse in concentration and rammed through the final two sets to emerge victorious 4-6, 7-6 7), 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
#4 Sloane Stephens
Sloane Stephens' grass court season in 2024 has come to an end after a hammering loss in the second round of the Wimbledon Championships. The American came to London with one win in two grass court tournaments but looked more in her element when she dispatched the lucky loser Elsa Jacquemot in the first round in straight sets.
Hopes were high for Stephens to make a deep run at the grass slam, but those hopes were dashed by recently crowned WTA 500 Bad Homburg Open Diane Shnaider. The 20-year-old Russian defeated former finalist Karolina Pliskova in the first round and made light work of Stephens as she swatted aside the American 6-1, 6-1 in just over 50 minutes.
The former US Open champion was given no room to maneuver as Shnaider converted all five breakpoint opportunities. Stephens' chances were not aided by her 19 unforced errors, compared to just five winners. The contest between the two women was expected to be action-packed, but the way in which Stephens, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2013, folded against Shnaider stunned many in the tennis world.
#3 Felix Auger-Aliassime
Felix Auger-Aliassime will have to wait for his first win at the Wimbledon Championships since 2021 after being knocked out of the competition this year in the first round. The Canadian was seeded 17 and faced Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening round at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Auger-Aliassime displayed clean tennis in the first two sets and took them after breaking Kokkinakis at crucial junctures.
The Canadian continued his perfect game plan and was on the brink of racking up the win but squandered four match points in the third set tiebreaker. Kokkinakis took advantage of Auger-Aliassime's lapses and notched the fourth set into the column to force a decider. The Australian shifted gears, breaking his opponent once, and went on to win the rain-affected match 4-6, 5-7, 7-6 (9), 6-4, 6-4.
Auger-Aliassime reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2021, but since then it has been a no-show from the Canadian at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
#2 Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud has had another early exit at Wimbledon. The Norwegian is not at his strongest on the grass court and did not play any tournaments on the surface before SW19 this year. He was the eighth seed in the men's singles draw and faced little trouble seeing off Alex Bolt in the first round.
Ruud faced Fabio Fognini in the second round. The Italian veteran looked more comfortable than the Norwegian on the court and broke him twice in the first two sets to go up 2-0. Fognini was on the verge of defeating Ruud in the third set but failed to convert a match point at 5-3. The latter staged an incredible comeback and forced a fourth set.
The Italian made sure to finish the job in the fourth set. He broke Ruud once and closed the match 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (1), 6-3 in three hours and 17 minutes, equaling his best showing at the tournament. As for Casper Ruud, this has been his third consecutive second-round exit at Wimbledon, which has been the worst slam, having won only three matches in five appearances.
#1 Naomi Osaka
Grass has never been Naomi Osaka's strongest surface. In fact, the four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to make a final on the surface. However, she looked better prepared for the grass swing on the 2024 WTA Tour and reached the quarterfinals at the Libema Open. Osaka was granted a main draw wildcard at Wimbledon and survived a three-set fight against French youngster Diane Parry in the first round.
The 26-year-old faced No. 19 seed Emma Navarro, who had dropped just two games in her opening contest, in the second round. Osaka's powerful and high-risk groundstroke managed to keep her in the game for the better part of the first half. She could not keep her unforced error count under control and was unable to create a single breakpoint opportunity. Navarro was able to absorb the Japanese star's power and broke her four times throughout the match and registered a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
