Defending Champ Joins Wimbledon Exits

Barbora Krejcikova, totaling far more winners and unforced errors, falls to Emma Navarro
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 5, 2025 12:10 PM CDT
Defending Champ Joins Wimbledon Exits
Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic reacts during her women's singles third round match against Emma Navarro of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 5, 2025.   (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova lost to No. 10 seed Emma Navarro 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the third round on Saturday, extending the run of one-and-done winners at the All England Club. Krejcikova, the No. 17 seed, faded in the third set, getting her blood pressure checked at the changeover after Navarro broke her to lead 3-2 at No. 1 Court. Krejcikova ate a banana and drank liquids during the medical timeout, the AP reports, while Navarro walked to her guest box and spoke to her coach during the break in action.

When play resumed, Krejcikova showed clear signs of being in distress, often leaning over and placing her hands on her knees between points. Still, she managed to break right back to 3-all before Navarro broke again and then held to lead 5-3. Two games later, it was over. Krejcikova wiped away tears at times, per the BBC, and leaned against the court's back wall, facing it, to cry when she was a game from losing. Most points were decided by what Krejcikova did. That's how she ended up with 34 winners—21 more than Navarro—and 53 unforced errors. Remarkably, Navarro finished with just 11 unforced errors.

"Part of you is telling yourself, 'Just put a bunch of balls in the court, and that's all you have to do,'" Navarro said afterward, per the AP. "But then, she's an amazing player, injuries or no injuries. So that's not good enough." This has been a fortnight filled with surprises, and Navarro is one of four Top 10 seeds left in the women's bracket. The others are No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who won her third-round match Friday against Emma Raducanu, and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva and No. 8 Iga Swiatek, who both won Saturday.

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