Top-ranked tennis player Aryna Sabalenka started her Wimbledon campaign with a straightforward victory over Serbia’s Teodora Kostovic, ranked 184th, winning 6:2, 6:3 in 64 minutes. The Belarusian hit five aces and committed one double fault, with a first-serve percentage of 73 and winning 83 percent of those points. She recorded 21 winners against 11 unforced errors.
Pre-match comments draw Sabalenka’s reaction
The match featured a brief pre-game exchange. Kostovic, 19, had said before the meeting that she wanted to see whether Sabalenka could handle her power. Sabalenka responded with a mix of irony and indifference after the match. «I only found out after the match what she said. It’s very funny,» Sabalenka said. «She said she wanted to see if I could handle her power. How scary!» She added: «It’s good that she has such self-confidence. That’s great.» However, Sabalenka noted that she tries not to pay attention to opponents’ pre-match statements. «Sometimes their statements can be misleading or taken out of context. So I try to completely detach myself from that aspect of the meeting.»
Impressive opening streak continues
Sabalenka extended her winning streak in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments to 23. Her last first-round loss came at the Australian Open in 2020 against Carla Suarez Navarro. This season, Sabalenka has 34 wins and 5 losses, though several of those defeats were unexpected, particularly during a difficult clay-court stretch. After a disappointing run on clay, she took a break and even consulted a psychiatrist. During the preparatory tournament in Berlin, Sabalenka lost a decisive set 6-0 to Jessica Pegula.
Now at Wimbledon, where she has never won the title, Sabalenka appears confident again. The early rounds allow her to face lower-ranked opponents and fine-tune her grass-court game. «Today I felt really good,» she said after the match. Sabalenka’s next opponent will be American McCartney Kessler, ranked 57th.
In a separate comment, Sabalenka addressed her aggressive on-court persona, saying she understands why some people think she is a «bitch.»