Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Clara Tauson Stuns Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon 2025 – A Rain-Soaked Wimbledon Thriller

The 21-year-old Dane reaches her first Wimbledon second week with a composed but rain-disrupted win.

Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

In one of the biggest upsets of this year’s Wimbledon, Denmark’s Clara Tauson eliminated 2022 champion Elena Rybakina in straight sets, 7-6(6), 6-3, on No. 2 Court late Saturday. The match, interrupted twice by rain and played under swirling wind, resumed with Tauson leading 4-2 in the second set. And, just 19 minutes after the second delay, the 22-year-old closed out the biggest win of her career with a composed service game, sending Rybakina’s return into the net.

Clara Tauson defeats the 2022 #Wimbledon champ (2024 semifinalist) Elena Rybakina 7-6(6), 6-3 to reach the last 16 in London.

2nd career Grand Slam 2nd week, first at SW19.

Rybakina will drop to #13 in the world at best case scenario. Tough… pic.twitter.com/ezfw3PipTO
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 5, 2025

Tactical Shift, Tough Conditions, and a Surprise Result

Rybakina’s smooth serve and baseline dominance have long made her one of the most dangerous players on grass. Since lifting the Wimbledon title in 2022, she reached the quarterfinals in 2023 and made the semifinals last year, showing remarkable consistency at SW19. But 2025 brought an unexpected third-round exit, undone by a player who had never been past this stage before.

🌧️ Rain is back at #Wimbledon.
Play has stopped again on some of the outer courts.

Grigor Dimitrov vs Sebastian Ofner

Brandon Nakashima vs Lorenzo Sonego

Clara Tauson vs Elena Rybakina

Belinda Bencic vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto

Also doubles matches. pic.twitter.com/acO0LnYjeh
— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) July 5, 2025

Tauson, seeded No. 23, kept Rybakina off balance with smart variation, mixing spins and redirecting play to sharp angles that moved the Kazakh out of position. It was a calculated disruption of Rybakina’s linear, rhythm-based game. The Dane also handled the stop-start nature of the match more effectively. Before the second rain delay, she had already gone up 4-2 in the second set. When play resumed, Rybakina appeared out of sorts and never recovered.

Clara Tauson knocks out 2022 Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina

7-6(5) 6-3

25 Winners, 22 UFE

Took advantage of Rybakina’s inability to put away short balls in crucial moments

Good use of backhand slices, aggressive 2nd serve returns, and saved 4/4 BPspic.twitter.com/2lsCLppQy0
— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) July 5, 2025

While Rybakina was expected to mount a comeback after narrowly losing the opening set, Tauson maintained control and never allowed the fourth seed to dictate. The match ended with a forehand error from mid-court by Rybakina, an uncharacteristic finish from a player known for her skill on grass.

What It Means for the Draw, and for Rybakina

With Rybakina out, the draw potentially opens up for world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, provided she gets past Danielle Collins. Swiatek was expected to face Rybakina in the next round. Instead, she will now face Tauson, whom she narrowly beat in three sets at Indian Wells in 2022.

Rybakina had entered Wimbledon with solid momentum. After a title run in Strasbourg, she made the fourth round at Roland Garros and reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Berlin and Eastbourne, sharpening her grass-court form.

Elena Rybakina holding her Strasbourg trophy.

Things you love to see. ❤️

🐠🏆 pic.twitter.com/poCXmXc4kB
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 24, 2025

Rybakina’s exit leaves Barbora Krejcikova as the last remaining former champion in the draw. None of the top 10 seeds at this year’s event were previous winners, underlining the wide-open nature of the women’s field. For Tauson, the result guarantees her a place inside the world’s top 20 for the first time.

Mandatory Image Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Clara Tauson

Wimbledon 2025

Rudra Dubey

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I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.