Wimbledon: Aryna Sabalenka avoids the wobble

LONDON: Whatever is said of World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka’s volatile temper, that has seen her come undone in the closing stages of championships, she’s as clean as a whistle in early rounds of majors. On a cloudy afternoon at Wimbledon, when the start of play was delayed on the outside courts, Sabalenka provided the sunshine, thumping 41 winners and breaking down the resistance of Czech Marie Bouzkova to score a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win to move into the third round.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Of the last six Grand Slams that the 27-year-old Belarusian has played, she has made the final five times. She has lost three of those finals, two of them the result of meltdowns which became the talking point. Not enough is said, however, of her professionalism in the early stages of majors. She hasn’t lost in the first or second rounds since 2021.This year her Tour record against opponents ranked outside the top-20 is 29-4. “I’m just trying to focus on myself mainly. I know that when I’m focusing on myself, I’ll be there fighting for every point,” the top-seed said.The reason why Sabalenka took to tennis was her father Sergey, who she lost suddenly in November 2019. For most of 2020 she struggled with the loss, but broke through to Grand Slam semifinals in 2021 — at Wimbledon and the US Open. Sabalenka’s game is a beast, she’s easily the hardest ball striker in the women’s Tour today, and maybe the hardest hitter ever, but in recent years she has worked to bring other elements to her game.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz put out British qualifier Oliver Tarvet 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. Tarvet, who plays college tennis for the University of San Diego, made his major debut here. Meanwhile, Joao Fonseca extended his debut run at Wimbledon, holding off American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to make the third round.