Aryna Sabalenka served for victory against qualifier Teodora Kostovic but was broken, prompting a wry smile from the world No.1. Memories of her French Open quarter-final collapse against Diana Shnaider, where she lost 10 consecutive games after leading 6-3, 4-1, may have flashed through her mind. However, Sabalenka quickly regrouped, breaking Kostovic in the next game to seal a 6-2, 6-3 win in the first round at Wimbledon.
Sabalenka Rates Her Performance
“For the first match I feel pretty good,” Sabalenka said. “I’d say I rate myself eight out of 10. She brought a really good fight, stepped it up in the second set and pushed me. Happy I was able to close this match in straight sets.” The Belarusian, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in each of the past three years, entered the tournament with some doubts after her Paris loss, which prompted her to consult her former sports psychologist for the first time in several years.
Fast Start and Nerves
Sabalenka raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set, settling any early nerves. “We all have nerves. We just try to put them away. I think with experience I have just become better at dealing with that,” she added. Kostovic, a 19-year-old Serbian qualifier making her grand slam debut, had never played a tournament on grass before entering qualifying. She got on the board in the fifth game and showed promise, punching the air when she broke Sabalenka and hitting an ace to save her first match point before the top seed closed out the match.
Chwalinska's Slip Costs Her Victory
In another match, Maja Chwalinska, fresh from reaching the French Open final, was one point from victory against Mananchaya Sawangkaew when she slipped on the grass. Initially appearing uninjured, she then attended to her right ankle and continued but was clearly hindered, ultimately losing 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. “I’m definitely very disappointed,” Chwalinska said. “I was one point from winning a match. It’s a grand slam, so of course every match is very, very important. But yeah, I’ll get through it. It’s tennis, it’s sport, so I will lose many more like this, and I will hopefully win some like that.”
Pegula Avoids Early Exit
Jessica Pegula, the American No.4 seed, avoided the early exit she suffered last year, defeating Czech player Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3. “I definitely wanted to redeem myself a bit from last year’s exit and then also the early exit at the French,” she said. “I did well in Australia, I’ve done well in the US Open the last few years [so I] wasn’t happy about that. Little extra nerves or pressure today, as well, just with that in mind but then also motivation at the same time.” Former world No.1 Naomi Osaka and American rising star Iva Jovic also advanced to the second round.
