Pakistan, July 1 — Top seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine on a sweltering Court One to get her quest for a first Wimbledon title up and running with a 6-1 7-5 win on Monday.
With the thermometer soaring above 30 degrees Celsius, the Belarusian turned up the heat early to win the opening five games. But Branstine, who juggles her time between the tennis courts and working as a model, earned loud applause when she got on the scoreboard and although Sabalenka eased to the first set, the second was an intense duel of fierce baseline rallies.
Sabalenka, seeded one at Wimbledon for the first time, usually overpowers her opponents with the sheer force of her game, but Branstine had firepower of her own.
The Canadian powered down several big aces as she stayed ahead in the second set but Sabalenka sensed her chance at 5-5 and broke serve by forcing her opponent to net a forehand.
Sabalenka wrapped up the win with a solid hold.
Kartal: The biggest British assault on Wimbledon for 41 years got off to a great start on Monday when Sonay Kartal upset 20th seed and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-5 2-6 6-2.
British tennis is enjoying a buoyant period, and although Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu are making most of the headlines, there are 23 Britons in the men’s and women’s singles this week, the most at Wimbledon since 1984.
Seven qualified directly through their top-100 world rankings, U.S.-based collegiate player Oliver Tarvet came through qualifying, and a further 15 players were handed wildcards.
Raducanu, the biggest draw for the locals, takes on fellow Briton Mimi Xu, one off three teenage British wildcards in the draw, later on Number One Court. Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Kartal were all in the top 50 last week, the first time three British women were ranked that highly since 1986. Kartal got things going on a sun-drenched Court Three on Monday morning but struggled to find her range in the early games and quickly trailed 4-1. She finally gave the crowd something to cheer when she broke back for 4-5, and then spiritedly held serve.
Latvian Ostapenko, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2018 and quarter-finalist last year, was losing her range and Kartal broke again before serving out for the set. The crowd lapped it up, but Kartal’s quality immediately dropped off in the second set and Ostapenko, who beat the Briton in straight sets at Eastbourne last week, did not have to work too hard to take it 6-2. Then it was Ostapenko’s turn to lose her form, making some horrible errors amid regular chuntering at the crowd, as Kartal, 23, broke in the opening game and surged into a 5-0 lead.
Ostapenko finally stopped the rot but 51st-ranked Kartal held her nerve and served out impressively to take the decider 6-2.
Fourth seed Draper, one of 13 Britons in the men’s draw, is the biggest home hope since Andy Murray and kicks off his campaign against Argentine Sebastian Baez on Tuesday.
Jabeur retires: Twice Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur’s tournament lasted only one hour and 25 minutes as the Tunisian retired in her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova on Monday.
Bulgarian Tomova took a tight opening set on a tiebreak and was 2-0 ahead in the second when Jabeur, who reached the final in 2022 and 2023, decided she could not continue. The 30-year-old former world number two had looked uncomfortable in fiercely hot conditions on Court 14 and needed a long medical timeout in the first set. Jabeur, who has slipped outside the world’s top 50, suffers from asthma and experienced breathing difficulties at this year’s Australian Open. “I wasn’t expecting not to feel good,” Jabeur said. “I have been practising pretty well the last few days but I guess these things happen.
“I’m pretty sad, it really doesn’t really help with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do even though it was a very tough season for me. I hope I can feel better and see what is going to happen.”
Temperatures at Wimbledon were expected to reach 34 degrees Celsius on the opening day of the championships and the All England Club has implemented its warm weather policy.
