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 and looked primed for a quick finish.
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.
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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.
“I’m super happy to be back and healthy and able to compete this year at this beautiful tournament,” said Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion and twice Wimbledon semifinalist.
“In the first set she didn’t serve that great but in the second she was serving every serve at 120mph, which was crazy. It was a tough second set and I’m super happy with the win.”
Sabalenka pulled out of last year’s Wimbledon because of a shoulder injury but she arrived this time with genuine title prospects and something to prove after losing in the final of the year’s first two Grand Slams.
She will face either last year’s surprise quarterfinalist Lulu Sun of New Zealand or Czech Marie Bouzkova in round two.
