When Teodora Kostovic was drawn against the top-seeded Belarusian in the opening round of SW19, the Serbian qualifier dismissed any concern that surrounded the matchup. The 19-year-old insisted the real question was whether Aryna Sabalenka could handle her power. The contest, however, proved far less dramatic than expected, as the four-time Grand Slam winner cruised to a straight-sets win before taking a playful dig at her opponent’s pre-match confidence.

 “I just figured out after the match what she said,” Sabalenka said in her post-match press conference. “It’s so funny. Whatever. I think she said she wants to see if I can handle her power (laughing) … so scary. It’s good that she has that self-belief. It’s a good thing to have,” she added.

“I’m not really watching to be honest my opponents’ quotes. Sometimes quotes get very tricky. Sometimes they can be taken out of context. I’m really trying to separate myself from that side of the game,” the top seed later explained.

Those remarks came after Kostovic, who had never played any grass-court tournament before SW19, confidently said she wanted to face the Belarusian in the opening round.

“I want to face Sabalenka,” the current world No. 184 said before the match. “Let’s see if she can deal with my power. Of course I can beat her. I can beat anybody when I’m in the zone.”

At the end, the Serb, who recently celebrated her 19th birthday, got exactly what she wished for and faced the top seed on Centre Court on Monday. 

However, the Belarusian’s experience and power proved too much throughout the contest as she sealed a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 victory in just one hour and four minutes and booked her place in the second round.

Still, the top seed admitted that the opening round contest in any Grand Slam is difficult. “I’m happy that I was able to close this match in straight sets,” the world No. 1 added.

After the match point, Sabalenka, who was defeated by Amanda Anisimova in last year’s SW19 edition, thanked the Centre Court crowd by raising her racket. She received the loudest applause of the afternoon as the fans celebrated her victory.

With the straight-sets victory behind her, Sabalenka safely moved into the second round. Yet, she also knows the challenge will only become harder from here.

Aryna Sabalenka will face McCartney Kessler in the second round

The first round is now done and dusted, but for the top seed at SW19, the real challenge is only beginning. Sabalenka will next face 26-year-old McCartney Kessler in the second round, who destroyed Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-0, 6-0 in the opening match. If Sabalenka keeps winning, a possible fourth-round clash against another four-time Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka, could also be waiting.

Even though she would give her “eight out of 10” after yesterday’s match, she knows the level of competition will only keep rising. 

Sabalenka has faced the current world No. 57 only once before at the 2025 Indian Wells Open. While she came away with a straight-set victory 7-6, 6-3, the match was far from comfortable. The 28-year-old had to dig deep, especially in the opening set. 

The Belarusian also arrived at Wimbledon carrying a few doubts after her loss in the French Open. Following the setback at the QF, the top seed consulted her old sports psychologist for the first time in a few years. It was a move aimed at rebuilding her confidence before another Grand Slam run in a couple of weeks.

“We all have nerves. We just try to put them away. I think with experience I have just become better at dealing with that,” Sabalenka shared yesterday.

And as the second-round match gets underway tomorrow, another tough test awaits. Who do you think will come out on top?