Sabalenka praying for no more Wimbledon upsets after battling win
Top seed Sabalenka was pushed hard by Bouzkova in Wednesday's opening match on Centre Court as her Czech opponent matched fire with fire in a bruising encounter.
But she eventually had too much in her locker for her 48th-ranked opponent, firing an impressive 41 winners in a match lasting one hour and 35 minutes.
The Belarusian said after her win she was aware of the seeds who had crashed out but planned to focus on her own game.
"Honestly it's very sad to see so many top players losing in the first round but you better focus on yourself and stay away from the results," she said.
"I mean of course you're going to know the overall picture but it's better to take it one step at a time and do your best every time you're out here competing and I'm trying to stay away.
"I hope it's no upsets anymore in this tournament, if you know what I mean!"
The first set went with serve until Sabalenka doubled-faulted in the 11th game to hand Bouzkova the chance to serve for the set.
But the Belarusian broke back with a searing backhand down the line and came out on top in the tie-break to establish a foothold in the match.
Sabalenka broke again in the fifth game of the second set to move within sight of victory and closed out the match with little fuss.
She will face 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu or former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the third round on Friday.
Although Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion, she has suffered agonising three-set defeats in this year's Australian Open and French Open finals.
The 27-year-old has never been beyond the Wimbledon semi-finals and missed last year's tournament with a shoulder injury.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Sabalenka outguns Raducanu to reach Wimbledon last 16
In a pulsating contest of clean-hitting under the Centre Court roof from both women the world number one won 7-6 (8/6), 6-4. Sabalenka found an extra gear when it mattered as the British player's form dipped, avoiding the fate of so many of the other top players at this year's championships. It is only day five of Wimbledon but just four of the top 10 women's seeds remain, with half of the men's top 10 also ousted. Former US Open champion Raducanu wasted little time signalling her refusal to be intimidated by the big-hitting Belarusian at the start of the match. Matching the three-time Grand Slam champion blow for blow, she landed the first break in the fifth game when a blistering drive forced Sabalenka to net a backhand. Raducanu clenched her fist in delight as a roar from the partisan crowd echoed under the closed roof. Having trailed 4-2, Sabalenka hit back in the blink of an eye with a break to draw level in the eighth game. Sabalenka tried to go for the kill, but when she amassed seven set points on Raducanu's serve in a marathon 10th game, the Briton nervelessly saved them all. Raducanu seized on Sabalenka's visible frustration as she broke in the next game, only for the top seed to immediately break back. A rollercoaster tie-break finally swung Sabalenka's way when she saved a set point, then caressed a deft volley to move ahead in the match. Raducanu clawed back the initiative, breaking in the fourth game of the second set and then held to wild cheers from a captivated crowd. Sabalenka, her grunts amplified under the roof, saved a break point in the sixth game to stay alive in the second set. Raducanu could not close out the following game and went long with a forehand to hand back her break of serve. In the following game Sabalenka stepped up a gear, lacing a backhand down the line before thundering down an ace, pulling level at 4-4. A couple of careless errors in the following game gave Raducanu a mountain to climb and she was broken again. Sabalenka served a double fault to give Raducanu hope but the British player then netted to spark celebrations from the top seed. © 2025 AFP
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Erratic Alcaraz battles into Wimbledon fourth round
Alcaraz made 28 unforced errors in an inconsistent display on Centre Court but conjured enough moments of magic to eventually subdue the world number 125 and book his place in the last 16. The world number two had been pushed to the brink in a five-set win over 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini in the first round and looked below his best again in a second-round victory over British amateur Oliver Tarvet. After grinding out his latest underwhelming win, the Spaniard has plenty of room for improvement. "I knew it was going to be really difficult. I had to be really focused. His game suits the grass with the big serves," Alcaraz said. "It's stressful. To be honest, I was suffering in every service game today, 0-30, break points down. "I'm really pleased that I was fighting, running for every ball and making great shots." In contrast to Alcaraz's laboured efforts, world number one Jannik Sinner -- his main rival at the All England Club -- has dropped just 12 games in his first two matches. It is hardly time for Alcaraz to panic, however. He has won his past 21 matches since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April, a streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club. The 22-year-old, who fought back from two sets down to beat Sinner on clay in an epic final at Roland Garros last month, has won 32 of his 35 Tour-level matches on grass. The five-time Grand Slam winner's last defeat at Wimbledon came against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022. "He pushed me and it was just about surviving. I'm surprising I'm standing here after four sets," Alcaraz said of the hard-hitting Struff. Having vanquished Novak Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz is looking to join an elite group of Wimbledon icons. He hopes to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and seven-time champion Djokovic. Having fretted about his misfiring serve in the first two matches of his title defence, it was a worrying moment for Alcaraz when he started the match with a double-fault. The Spaniard managed to win that game and quickly broke Struff's serve twice to wrap up the opening set in just 27 minutes. Alcaraz looked in complete control when he broke again early in the second set. Yet his serve woes suddenly returned as he was broken in the next game and again in the eighth, allowing the 35-year-old to level the match. Alcaraz, then still a precocious teenager, had to come from two sets to one down to beat Struff in the Wimbledon first round in 2022. He was not in quite such a perilous position this time, but the Spaniard was still relieved to take the third set after landing the crucial break in the second game. Alcaraz was pushed hard in the fourth set before at last delivering the knockout blow.
France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
Australian Open champion Keys stunned at Wimbledon
Keys slumped to a 6-3, 6-3 loss against the German world number 104 in the third round on Court Two. The 30-year-old is the fifth player among the top six seeds in the women's draw to suffer a surprise exit from this year's tournament. Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen had already bowed out, though world number one Aryna Sabalenka is still alive. Keys, who beat Sabalenka to clinch her maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne in January, is yet to make it past the quarter-finals in 11 visits to the All England Club. She made 31 unforced errors in a lacklustre display against Siegemund. It was a miserable way to spend the fourth of July for Keys while her compatriots celebrated the Independence Day holiday back in the United States. Siegemund, who beat former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in the second round, is through to the Wimbledon last 16 for the first time. At 37, she is the oldest player left in the women's tournament, with her best Grand Slam singles run coming when she made the French Open quarter-finals in 2020. "When you beat a great player like Madison you have to be really happy," said Siegemund. "I managed to keep my nerve in the end. If you don't have nerves in this moment you are probably dead. "It was a big opportunity. You just take a deep breath and remember your strategy. "All the girls on the tour are perfectionists. I'm the same but there was no pressure for me. I don't feel like I need to prove anything anymore."
