Sabalenka Shines Under Pressure: Top Seed Cruises Past Canada’s Carson Branstine at Wimbledon 2025
Belarusian powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka opens her Wimbledon 2025 campaign with a straight-sets victory, while Canadian hopeful Carson Branstine makes a promising Grand Slam debut.
🌱 A Fiery Start at the All England Club
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka began her Wimbledon journey with authority on Monday, defeating Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine 6-1, 7-5 in just 73 minutes. On what turned out to be the hottest opening day in Wimbledon history, the Belarusian’s power and experience proved too much for the 24-year-old Branstine, who was making her Grand Slam main-draw debut.
Despite limited past appearances at Wimbledon, Sabalenka has reached the semifinals both times she’s competed — and this year, she enters as the clear tournament favorite ahead of Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.
2025 – Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships – Practice Day – Saturday 28th June 2025 – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club – Wimbledon – London – England
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🎾 First Set Blitz: Sabalenka’s Statement of Intent
The opening set felt like a formality. Sabalenka came out swinging, dominating with heavy serves and aggressive returns. She won six of the first seven games in just 24 minutes. Branstine, despite the nerves of a debutant, delivered a memorable moment with a 120 mph ace that earned roaring applause from the Centre Court crowd.
Still, Sabalenka closed the set efficiently, using her powerful first serve to hold Branstine at bay.
🇨🇦 Branstine’s Grit Shines in Set Two
To her credit, Carson Branstine — who earned her Wimbledon spot by defeating top seed Lois Boisson and former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the qualifiers — didn’t go quietly. She settled into her rhythm and held serve through most of the second set, pushing Sabalenka to 5-5.
But just when the set looked like it might go to a tiebreak, Branstine faltered. A netted forehand while serving at 5-all gave Sabalenka the decisive break. From there, the Belarusian sealed the match in classic fashion — with big serves and explosive forehands.
📊 Key Stats & Records
- Aces: Branstine 7 | Sabalenka 6
- Winners: Sabalenka 17 | Branstine 11
- Unforced Errors: Sabalenka 18
- Second Serve Points Won (Branstine): Just 11 of 24
Sabalenka extended her Grand Slam first-round winning streak to 19 matches, going unbeaten in that round for over five and a half years. She also maintained her 10-0 record against qualifiers in majors, remarkably without dropping a single set.
🗣️ What’s Next?
With this win, Aryna Sabalenka advances confidently into the second round, where bigger challenges await. For Carson Branstine, this loss is not the end but a beginning. The Canadian showed flashes of promise, especially in her serving and composure under pressure — a strong foundation to build upon in future Grand Slam events.
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