Sabalenka races through against Udvardy
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Aryna Sabalenka registered a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Panna Udvardy at a rainy Wimbledon on Tuesday.
LONDON (Reuters) - Second seed Aryna Sabalenka made short work of Hungary's Panna Udvardy with a powerful 6-3, 6-1 victory to reach the second round at a rainy Wimbledon on Tuesday (Jul 4).
The Belarusian, unable to play last year because of Wimbledon's ban on Russians and Belarusians in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, charmed the crowd with some dazzling play.
"I didn't realise how much I missed this place until today," Sabalenka, who reached the semi-finals in 2021, said on court.
"This really means a lot for me. It's really good to be one of the favourites at this great tournament."
The Australian Open champion, part of the new big three in women's tennis along with four-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek and Wimbledon holder Elena Rybakina, revelled in the indoor conditions under the Centre Court roof.
She lost only five points behind her heavy first serve and crunched 20 baseline winners against her 82nd-ranked opponent.
The Minsk-born player showed some deft touches too, including a 'tweener' as she raced back to retrieve a lob. It did not win her the point but she celebrated anyway.
Sabalenka will face either Italian Camila Giorgi or Varvara Gracheva of France in round two.
Jabeur turns on the style to see off Frech in Wimbledon opener
Last year's Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur made a solid start to her bid to capture a maiden Grand Slam title as the world number six eased past unseeded Pole Magdalena Frech 6-3 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the second round.
Tunisia's Jabeur has struggled to build momentum during an injury-hit season and her preparation for the grasscourt major was far from ideal with early losses in Berlin and Eastbourne, but the sixth seed showed her calibre against Frech.
"I always feel so great to come back here. Last year I had an amazing run and hopefully this year it will be a little bit better," said Jabeur, who lost to Elena Rybakina in last year's final.
"I walked into the locker room and there was Elena's photo with the trophy so that didn't help at all," she joked.
"But it's amazing to come back here, just the atmosphere, the grass is so beautiful and I love connecting with nature."
After narrowly missing the opportunity to break the 70th-ranked Frech early with two wayward drop shots, Jabeur got her nose in front in the fifth game thanks to clean hitting and she raced through the opening set.
The 28-year-old moved with ease and displayed a stunning range of shots that included drops, lobs and scoops to overwhelm Frech and go 3-1 up in the next set.
"I'm just trying to enjoy my time, enjoy playing tennis, doing some cool drop shots and see what's going to happen," said Jabeur, who hit 33 winners but also made 29 unforced errors with her high-risk style.
"It reflects my character. I like to joke around a bit," she said. "I hate routine... I like to entertain the crowd with cool shots, so maybe I'll keep doing that."
Frech grabbed a break against the run of play before drawing level but Jabeur, who needed three sets to overcome the 25-year-old at Indian Wells this year, ensured there would be no late drama under the Court One roof.
Jabeur restored her advantage as Frech sent a shot long and closed out the contest on serve to set up a meeting with either unseeded Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure or Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan.
