Wimbledon PIX: World No 1 STUNNED, Halep cruises

LONDON: World number one and top seed Iga Swiatek suffered a shock third-round defeat at Wimbledon when she crashed 6-4, 6-2 to France's 32-year-old Alize Cornet on Saturday.

Swiatek, the red-hot favourite and boasting a 37-match winning streak spanning four months, was well below her best as she lost the last six games of the match on Court One.

Cornet, appearing in a record-equalling 62nd consecutive Grand Slam tournament, took full advantage of Swiatek's unease with a calm and composed display to win in one hour 32 minutes.

"It reminds me of when I beat Serena (Williams) here eight years ago on the same court; maybe this court is a lucky charm," the 37th-ranked Cornet said.

"I live for this kind of match. It really drives me. I knew I could do it and I had belief because maybe Iga feels a little less comfortable on grass than other surfaces."

She won the opening three games and then held off a Swiatek fightback to pocket the opening set -- only the fourth set Swiatek had dropped in her amazing winning run.

Swiatek looked as though she had gained some momentum when she went 2-0 ahead in the second set but could not sustain her level and Cornet swept through the set.

Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep soared into the fourth round of the Championships with a commanding 6-4, 6-1 victory over Poland's Magdalena Frech.

The 30-year-old Romanian, who returned to the All England Club this year for the first time since winning the grasscourt major in 2019, came into match having beaten Frech in both their previous meetings.

Despite a stiff breeze blowing across Court two, Halep started in aggressive fashion to build up a 4-0 lead and although the 92nd-ranked Frech managed to get a break of serve back, it was not enough to stop her opponent from winning the first set.

Playing her maiden third-round match at a major, Frech also cancelled out an early break at the start of the second set but Halep regained the lead immediately and celebrated with a clenched fist and repeated slaps on her thigh.

There was no stopping the 2018 French Open winner after that as she continued to spray the court with winners and advanced to the net at every opportunity to leave Frech, who has never beaten a top-20 player, stranded.

Halep broke Frech's serve twice more and sealed the contest in 67 minutes with her 24th winner.

The 4th seed Paula Badosa stormed into the fourth round after defeating Petra Kvitová 7-5, 7-6 (5).

Ajla Tomljanovic shocked 13th seed Barbora Krejcíkova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, Petra Martic beat 8th seed Jessica Pegula 6-2, 7-6, Elena Rybakina beat Qinwen Zheng 7-6, 7-5. Agencies

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