Aryna Sabalenka has battled through her Wimbledon first round match, winning the contest 6-1 7-5.
Sabalenka, who is bidding for a maiden Wimbledon title, strolled to a comfortable one-set lead, before facing a sterner test in the second.
The Belarusian, a three-time Grand Slam champion, is looking to bounce back following a crushing French Open final defeat to Coco Gauff.
The world number one, who practised with Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner before the tournament, praised her first-round opponent, acknowledging one particular strength in her game.
Aryna Sabalenka says opponent Carson Branstine was serving ‘crazy’ in the second set
Despite the relatively comfortable victory, Sabalenka was quick to praise her opponent, highlighting Branstine’s serving performance in the second set.
Sabalenka said: “I think first set she wasn’t serving that great and then the second set she was serving – most of the serves were 120mph, which is crazy. Such a great serve.
“I was lucky to break her in one game and get this win, it was a tough match and a tough second set and I’m super happy with the win.”
While Branstine was recording a standout second-set performance, Sabalenka was registering another impressive showing – this time in front of the Centre Court crowd.
Sabalenka will be looking to go one better at this year’s Wimbledon, having lost both the Australian Open and French Open finals in 2025.
She will face 2024 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Lulu Sun or Czechia’s Marie Bouzkova in the Wimbledon second round.
Carson Branstine’s impressive serving performance versus Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka’s comments about Carson Branstine’s serving performance were justified, as the Canadian registered impressive numbers across the match.
Branstine recorded seven aces to Sabalenka’s three, while winning 67 per cent of her first serve points.
However, the Canadian struggled on her second serve, winning just 46 per cent of those points.
The Canadian also failed to make many inroads into the Sabalenka serve, forcing only one break point opportunity, which was saved by Sabalenka. By comparison, Branstine only saved two of the five break points she faced.
Meanwhile, the Belarusian won 78 per cent of her first serve points, 75 per cent of her second-serve points and recorded three aces.
Sabalenka will have to continue this good form heading into her second round match. The 27-year-old has performed admirably at previous championships, reaching the semi-finals in 2021 and 2023.
