LONDON: Elina Svitolina and Bianca Andreescu were dumped out of the Eastbourne grasscourt tournament on Wednesday while Gael Monfils crashed out of the men's event.
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina upset second seed Svitolina 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) to reach the quarterfinals while Andreescu, seeded third, went down 6-3, 6-3 to Anett Kontaveit of Estonia at the Wimbledon warm-up event.
Svitolina held game point to edge 5-4 ahead in the first set but Rybakina found three stunning forehand winners to snatch the crucial break and take the lead instead.
The world number 21 maintained her advantage, breaking early in the second set but missed an opportunity to take a 5-2 double-break lead and Ukraine's Svitolina forced a tie-break.
Undaunted, Rybakina refocused and a series of emphatic serves and backhands enabled her to dominate, sealing her third match point with a service winner.
Kontaveit breezed past Canada's Andreescu, converting six of her eight break points against the 2019 US Open champion.
But top seed Aryna Sabalenka was untroubled by any thoughts of an upset as she stormed past Alison Riske, 6-1, 6-4.
Jelena Ostapenko came from a set and a break down to beat Birmingham champion Ons Jabeur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 and Anastasija Sevastova saw off American teenager Coco Gauff 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
In the men's tournament, top seed Gael Monfils lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to Australia's world number 283 Max Purcell.
Monfils came within two points of defeat at 4-5 in the second set, but a crosscourt forehand winner sparked the Frenchman into life.
From 3-5 down in the second set, Monfils won seven straight games before Purcell won five in a row to lead 5-3 in the decider and he calmly closed out the match.
Purcell will next play 2011 champion Andreas Seppi, who defeated Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland 6-2, 6-3. -- AFP
Eastbourne WTA/ATP results
Women (second round)
Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x1) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-1, 6-4; Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Anett Kontaveit (EST) bt Bianca Andreescu (CAN x3) 6-3, 6-3; Viktorija Golubic (SUI) bt Belinda Bencic (SUI x6) 6-4, 6-4; Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3; Darya Kasatkina (RUS) bt Iga Swiatek (POL x4) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1; Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) bt Coco Gauff (USA) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2; Elena Rybakina (KAZ) bt Elina Svitolina (UKR x2) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
Men (second round)
Max Purcell (AUS) bt Gael Monfils (FRA x1) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Andreas Seppi (ITA) bt Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) 6-2, 6-3; Lorenzo Sonego (ITA x3) bt John Millman (AUS) 6-4, 6-2; Alexander Bublik (KAZ x8) bt Egor Gerasimov (BLR) 6-2, 6-2; Ilya Ivashka (BLR) bt Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-3; Kwon Soon-woo (KOR) bt Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 6-3; Vasek Pospisil (CAN) bt Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP x6) 7-6 (7/1), 0-0 - retired; Alex de Minaur (AUS x2) bt Liam Broady (GBR) 6-3, 6-4
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