Venus Williams suffered a stunning Wimbledon exit as the five-time champion became the latest star to crash out in a 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 8-6 defeat against Kiki Bertens on Friday.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams extender her winning streak at the All England Club to 17 as she defeated Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 7-6(2) in the third round. Williams, seeded 25 and chasing a 24th Grand Slam title, will face Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina for a place in the quarter-finals.

The match on Monday will also be a tussle between two of the tour’s mothers.

Serena gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September, while Rodina became a mother to Anna in November 2012.

After reaching the final last year and the semi-finals in 2016, Venus was expected to mount another strong challenge for the Wimbledon title.

But instead the 38-year-old was worn down by Dutch 20th seed Bertens in a dramatic third round clash lasting two hours and 40 minutes in sweltering heat on Court One.

Venus, seeded ninth, joined Petra Kvitova, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki and Sloane Stephens as the most high-profile casualties of Wimbledon’s year of the giant-killers in the women’s singles.

Serena said she was delighted to be into the second week at Wimbledon.

“I have worked really hard and it’s been a long arduous road,” said Serena, playing in just her second Slam since the birth of her daughter Olympia last September.

“A lot of top players have lost. Technically I am not a top player although I have the wins of one.”

For the first time in the Open era, fewer than four top 10 seeds have made the Wimbledon fourth round.

Only world number one Simona Halep and former US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova remain, with Venus’s sister Serena, seeded 25th after her return from pregnancy, installed as the title favourite.

Bertens faces Czech seventh seed Pliskova, who just about avoided the curse of the top seeds, for a place in the quarter-finals.

“It means a lot. I still really can’t believe it. It was such a tough match and such a big fight so I’m really happy that I won this one,” Bertens said.

“It was really tough because I played her in Miami, I had a few match points there and I lost so that was going into my mind sometimes.

“But I was just like, ‘OK, keep on going for it, you’re in Wimbledon in the third round, never reached the fourth round so you’ve nothing to lose and just go for your shots.”

Denied in the Wimbledon final by Garbine Muguruza 12 months ago, Venus has failed in her bid to win an eighth Grand Slam crown 10 years after her last major triumph.

Last year, Venus made two Grand Slam finals and one semi-final, but this term she has failed to get past the third round in any of the three majors.

Eighteen years after winning her first Wimbledon title, Venus was the oldest woman in the tournament, so perhaps it wasn’t surprising the 26-year-old Bertens had the greater staying power.

For Williams, losing the first set was nothing unusual at Wimbledon this year after she battled back to win her opening two matches following the same deficit.

But neither of those escape acts came after such a one-sided set.

Bertens, who reached the French Open semi-finals in 2016, had never before been past the Wimbledon third round.

She squandered a chance to serve for the match in the second set, then couldn’t convert two match points before finally falling to the turf in jubilation when Venus sent a backhand wide.

Madison Keys became the seventh woman seeded in the top 10 to crash out of Wimbledon as the American was stunned by Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina on Friday.

After defending champion Garbine Muguruza suffered a shock exit in the second round on Thursday, it was 10th seed Keys’ turn to endure an unexpected 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 third round defeat.

Rodina won nine games in a row to move a set and two breaks ahead before Keys recovered from 4-0 down in the second set to set up a decider.

The 29-year-old Russian needed treatment after securing the decisive break in the final set, but she was able to block out the pain to seal her upset.

Keys fired 15 aces in the match but also committed 48 unforced errors.

“I have played the qualies and three matches this week which were all three sets,” said 29-year-old Rodina, one of six mothers in the draw at the start of the tournament.

“She hits the ball so hard. I am a little surprised that I won, I was a little bit lucky today.”

Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova defied second round victim Caroline Wozniacki’s churlish prediction that she wouldn’t progress further in the tournament by reaching the last 16.

Makarova, who made the quarter-finals four years ago, beat a weary-looking Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

She next faces Italy’s Camila Giorgi who saved a match point to beat Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2.

Giorgi last made the fourth round six years ago.

Results

Karolína Plískova (CZE x7) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROM x29) 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1

Kiki Bertens (NED x20) bt Venus Williams (USA x9) 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 8-6

Julia Goerges (GER x13) bt Barbora Záhlavová Strýcová (CZE x23) 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 10-8

Donna Vekic (CRO) bt Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 7-6 (7/2), 6-1

Serena Williams (USA x25) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 7-5, 7-6 (7/2)

Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) bt Madison Keys (USA x10) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4

Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Katerina Siniaková (CZE) 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1

With inputs from AFP