Halep the latest top seed to tumble
▶ Only one top 10 player remains in women’s Wimbledon draw, while Nadal retains No 1 ranking with victory
World No 1 Simona Halep joined the list of seeded casualties at Wimbledon yesterday after a surprise 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 defeat to 48th-ranked Hsieh Suwei of Taiwan.
French Open champion Halep led 5-2 in the decisive set, but the 26-year-old Romanian was twice broken.
And despite facing two break points while serving for the match, Hsieh held her nerve for a famous victory.
Defeat for top seed Halep means Karolina Pliskova is the last remaining top-10 seeded player in the tournament.
Hsieh’s victory set up a last-16 clash with Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova, who produced an impressive performance to defeat Belgian 15th seed Elise Mertens.
“This is the first time I have beaten the world No 1, it is amazing,” Hsieh, 32, said. “I had to run and fight for every point. I tried to concentrate on my game and calm down a bit, that helped a lot.
“This year I have tried to enjoy more, not just tennis but life, food, strawberries and cream, lobster. I am really enjoying playing tennis.”
Former Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber kept alive her hopes of a third grand slam title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Japan’s Naomi Osaka. The German 11th seed will take on Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic for a place in the quarter-finals.
Daria Kasatkina is also through to the fourth round after weathering an early storm against Australian Ashleigh Barty to progress 7-5, 6-3.
The Russian 14th seed will face Alison Van Uytvanck. The Dutchwoman beat Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 6-3 to follow up on her victory over defending champion Garbine Muguruza.
In the men’s draw, victory for second seed Rafael Nadal ensured the Spaniard will retain the world No 1 ranking at the end of the tournament.
Nadal reached the last-16 for the eighth time with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over Australian teenager Alex De Minaur.
With the No 1 ranking secured, Nadal insists that staying at the top is not the priority it once was for him.
“Of course, 2008 was a very important moment for me when I achieved the world No 1 for the first time in my career because in some way I felt that I deserved it,” he said.
“I did the things good enough to be there at least once. Today is a different story. It is not my biggest goal, to be No 1.
“Of course, as I said hundreds of times, I prefer to be No 1 than No 5. The most important thing for me is be healthy, be happy playing tennis.”
In yesterday’s first match, Juan Martin del Potro proved why he is considered a favourite for the title with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 win over Frenchman Benoit Paire.
The Argentine fifth seed faces another Frenchman in the fourth round after Gilles Simon defeated Australian Matthew Ebden 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6.
Milos Raonic, the 2016 finalist, also made it through to the last-16 stage, albeit a day later than planned.
The Canadian 13th seed defeated Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak 7-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, and will face American Mackenzie McDonald.