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The tennis fever is starting to heat up in London as players enter the second week of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Top seed Iga Swiatek has been eliminated by Yulia Putintseva in the third round, leaving the rest of the women more optimistic than ever. Putintseva beat the Pole 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, ending her 21-match win streak on tour.
With defending champion Marketa Vondrousova, World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek all out of the way, Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina are among the top 10 seeds remaining in the competition. Paula Badosa, Danielle Collins, and Emma Raducanu are also in the mix, having impressed with their performances so far.
Without further ado, let's take a look at three players who have the best chance of clinching the title in London following Iga Swiatek's exit in the third round.
3) Elina Svitolina
Former World No. 3 Elina Svitolina has had a tough season so far, amassing 21 wins in 33 matches, including a runner-up finish at the ASB Classic in Auckland. She also reached the fourth round in Paris, where she lost to Elena Rybakina in straight sets.
Svitolina is a two-time semifinalist at Wimbledon (2023, 2019) and has outfoxed high-class opponents such as Venus Williams, Iga Swiatek, and Ashleigh Barty in the past. She's made a solid start to her campaign this year, defeating Magda Linette and Jule Niemeier in the first two rounds and then overpowering two-time finalist Ons Jabeur in the third round. Svitolina brushed aside the Tunisian under 90 minutes, 6-1, 7-6(4).
The 29-year-old will square off against Xinyu Wang of China in the fourth round. If she manages to get past the youngster, she will take on either Anna Kalinskaya or Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
2) Coco Gauff
Second on the list is World No. 2 and reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff. She's made a remarkable start to the season, garnering 35 wins from 45 matches, including a title-winning run at the ASB Classic. Gauff also reached the semifinals in Melbourne, Indian Wells, Rome, and Berlin.
The American has been one of the stand-out performers on the women's tour this year. She is making her fifth appearance at Wimbledon and is through to the fourth round for the third time in her career.
The 20-year-old has hardly broken a sweat en route to the last 16 in London. She has cruised past the likes of Caroline Dolehide, Anca Alexia Todoni, and Sonay Kartal in the first three matches, and is yet to drop a set at Wimbledon.
Gauff will take on 19th seed Emma Navarro in the fourth round. She leads the head-to-head against her 1-0, having defeated Navarro this year in Auckland. If she manages to get past the American, the second seed will take on either Jasmine Paolini or Madison Keys in the quarterfinals.
1) Elena Rybakina: 2022 Wimbledon Champion
World No. 4 Elena Rybakina will fancy her chances of success in London this year. She is among the most consistent players on tour, chalking up 38 wins from 45 matches this year, including title-winning runs in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, and Stuttgart. The Kazakh was one step win from lifting the trophy in Miami, but Danielle Collins stood in her way in the finals.
The 25-year-old captured her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Since then, she's captured WTA 1000 titles at the BNP Paribas Open and the Italian Open in Rome. Rybakina also reached the finals of the Australian Open last year but came up short against Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.
Slowly, but steadily, the Kazakh has become a force to be reckoned with on tour.
Rybakina started her campaign at Wimbledon with a confident win against Elena Gabriela Ruse, and then edged Laura Siegemund in the second round. She continued her excellent form and outclassed Caroline Wozniacki 6-0,6-1 in the third round.
The fourth seed will lock horns with Anna Kalinskaya in the last 16. The winner between them will take on either Elina Svitolina or Xinyu Wang in the quarterfinals.
