The Hollywood model and Canadian-American Carson Branstine was one of the more intriguing qualifying stories but in encountering World No.1, Aryna Sabalenka she soon learned her lesson at Wimbledon.
Sabalenka was out there in the blistering heat with the UK reaching 35 degrees on Monday. But she managed to weather it in a country not built for temperature of this magnitude. As is the case with the dial topping the most it ever has at Wimbledon on opening day.
Sabalenka was a bit of a conundrum coming into this year's Wimbledon. She lost early in Berlin and has only played two out of the past four Wimbledon tournaments. She made the semi-finals twice and has been earmarked as the favourite.
Albeit a lot of that comes down to the fact that in the past three years, it has been Elena Rybakina who was a top player but not favourite, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova who surprisingly won the titles. So unlike the men's tournament, it is not really a certain formula.
All three of Sabalenka's major titles have come on hard courts. She lost to Coco Gauff in the final of the French Open and will be hoping that this two weeks gives her the chance to gain a part of her collection she hasn't yet.
Branstine grew into it in the second. Sabalenka won six out of seven games in 24 minutes. The former avoided a shutout and raised her arms as if she'd won the title.
She lost the first but found her groove on her serve. Branstine though was broken at 5-5 and Sabalenka found the key and found her way through. She has never lost to a qualifier including a set in a major so far. So that run continues in SW19.
Match Statistics Sabalenka vs. Branstine
| Sabalenka | VS | Branstine |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 3 | Aces | 7 |
| 3 | Double Faults | 4 |
| 61% (36/59) | 1st Service Percentage | 56% (30/54) |
| 78% (28/36) | 1st Service Points Won | 67% (20/30) |
| 65% (15/23) | 2nd Service Points Won | 46% (11/24) |
| 100% (1/1) | Break Points Saved | 40% (2/5) |
| 100% (10/10) | Service Games | 67% (6/9) |
| Return | ||
| 33% (10/30) | 1st Return Points Won | 22% (8/36) |
| 54% (13/24) | 2nd Return Points Won | 35% (8/23) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 1h 14m | Match Duration | 1h 14m |
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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