Aryna Sabalenka finally reached the third round of Wimbledon yesterday following a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Britain’s Katie Boulter.
The Belarusian previously had a poor record in the Grand Slam. She crashed out in the second round in 2017, before losing her opening matches in both 2018 and 2019.
Sabalenka has since come on leaps and bounds as a tennis player, demonstrating her progress by finally booking a place in the third round of Wimbledon. GiveMeSport Women assesses whether the 23-year-old has finally overcome her Wimbledon demons and whether she can go all the way.
Path to the third round
Sabalenka looked comfortable in her opening match, defeating Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-1, 6-4.
She faced more of a tussle against Boulter, despite the apparent mismatch on paper. Second seed Sabalenka is currently world number four, while Boulter is ranked 219th in the world.
It was Boulter that took the first set, however, and lasted more than two hours before she was finally vanquished. The Briton had the benefit of a supportive home crowd of course, but the match still showed that Sabalenka could be there for the taking.
She will come up against María Camila Osorio Serrano in the third round. The Colombian is ranked 94th in the world, but Sabalenka will have to step up her performance from the second round if she wants to go further in the Grand Slam.
Breakthrough year
Sabalenka has been enjoying a breakthrough year so far. She won her first clay court title in May, overcoming Ashleigh Barty in the final of the Madrid Open. She had previously lost to the Australian in the final of the Stuttgart Open and the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.
Although she has reached the latter stages of a series of WTA tournaments, her record in Grand Slams is still not the best. She reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in January, but exited the French Open in the third round.
Sabalenka still has to prove she can succeed on the biggest stage in tennis. This could be a help as she looks to achieve Wimbledon glory, motivating her on a journey to a final, but her poor record could also prove to be a psychological stumbling block.
Chances boosted by withdrawals
If she is to progress to the latter stages of Wimbledon, Sabalenka will be boosted by a number of high-profile absences from the Grand Slam. World number three Simona Halep pulled out of the tournament with a calf injury, while world number two Naomi Osaka has been absent from the court since the French Open due to mental health reasons.
Serena Williams is another top name to drop out, withdrawing from her opening round clash against Aliaksandra Sasnovich with an injury. Fifth seed Bianca Andreescu suffered an upset in her first match of the tournament, losing 6-2, 6-1 to Alizé Cornet.
Barty is still in the draw, but Sabalenka has already shown this year she can overcome the top seed. With this in mind, Sabalenka has a good chance of changing her reputation for struggling in Grand Slams.
