Wimbledon 2018: Karolina Pliskova loses as all top ten seeds crash out

Karolina Pliskova lost 6-3, 7-6(1) to Kiki Bertens in the pre-quarters. (Reuters)

Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova lost 6-3, 7-6(1) to Kiki Bertens in the pre-quarters on Monday. The result led to the demolition of Wimbledon's top 10 women's seeds.

Pliskova, seeded seven, was the highest-ranked player to reach the fourth round after an extraordinary first week of upsets but her hopes of further progress evaporated on a stiflingly hot Court Two.

Bertens, the first Dutchwoman to reach the last 16 since Michaella Krajicek, sister of former men's champion Richard, did so in 2007, followed up her win over Venus Williams in the third round with a display of power and poise.

The tall Czech answered an early break with one of her own but 20th seed Bertens secured a second break with a superb touch volley to move 5-3 ahead and then held with ease.

All out.

1 Halep
2 Wozniacki
3 Muguruza
4 Stephens
5 Svitolina
6 Garcia
7 Pliskova
8 Kvitova
9 V. Williams
10 Keys #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Da2SDUaWj1

Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2018

Bertens built a 4-1 lead in the second set with Pliskova appearing to lack energy at times -- occasionally making little attempt to chase balls down.

But Pliskova, who reached number one in the rankings after Wimbledon last year, found some fight and capitalised on a loose game by Bertens that allowed her to break back and level the set at 4-4.

When the set drifted to a tiebreak, Bertens quickly found another gear, firing one superb forehand winner down the line.

A #Wimbledon quarter-finalist for the first time

The of No.2 Court - @kikibertens pic.twitter.com/Vp6EHmF7hB

Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2018

An ace took her to 4-0 and there was no coming back for Pliskova. At 6-1 Bertens thought she had over-cooked a forehand swing volley but after Pliskova challenged the call the Hawkeye screen showed it had clipped the baseline.

She celebrated and her watching father puffed out his cheeks in relief. Bertens will play either 13th seed Julia Goerges or Croatia's Donna Vekic for a place in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, twelfth seed Jelena Ostapenko came back from 5-2 down to crush Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6(4), 6-0 and reach the quarter-finals.

The 21-year-old Latvian former French Open champion looked in trouble with her Belarusian opponent racing into a 5-2 lead after delivering a superb lob.

However, Ostapenko then seemed stung into action by a warning for coaching and reeled off four games to turn the tables, winning the set in 56 minutes.

Back-to-back quarter-finals @JelenaOstapenk8 books her last eight spot with a 7-6(4), 6-0 victory against Aliaksandra Sasnovich #Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/ihYyfTgsLP

Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2018

Sasnovich, who upset eighth seed Petra Kvitova in the opening round, won one more game to send the set into a tiebreak which she lost 7-4 on a double fault.

Ostapenko, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament, clinched the set in 56 minutes then took half that time to win the second as Sasnovich's game deserted her.

Sasnovich, 24, saved four break points in the fourth game of the second set, her last stand, but could not hold.

Ostapenko proved too strong in the end and will be favoured in her quarter-final to beat Dominika Cibulkova, one of a record nine unseeded players to reach the fourth round since the number of seeds was increased to 32 in 2001.