Wimbledon: Sabalenka crushes Carson Branstine, Medvedev, Tsitsipas crash out in Round 1

Wimbledon 2025: Top seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine in straight sets at Wimbledon. Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas retired due to a back injury, and Daniil Medvedev faced an early exit, raising concerns.

In Short

• Tsitsipas and Medvedev crash out in Round 1 of Wimbledon 2025
• Sabalenka brushes past Canada's Carson Branstine
• Medvedev lost to Benjamin Bonzi in a tough four-set match under hot conditions

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine in her quest for a first Wimbledon title on Monday, June 30. Sabalenka beat her Canadian opponent in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, in a match that lasted an hour and 15 minutes.

With temperatures soaring above 30 degrees Celsius, the Belarusian turned up the heat early to win the opening five games and looked primed for a quick finish. But Branstine, who has become a crowd favourite in this edition of the tournament, earned loud applause when she fought back in the second set of the match.

While the first set was an easy win for Sabalenka, the second was an intense duel of fierce baseline rallies. Sabalenka, seeded one at Wimbledon for the first time, usually overpowers her opponents with the sheer force of her game, but Branstine brought some firepower of her own.

Wimbledon 2025: Round 1 Live Updates

The Canadian powered down several big aces as she stayed ahead in the second set, but Sabalenka sensed her chance at 5-5 and broke serve by forcing her opponent to net a forehand.

Sabalenka wrapped up the win with a solid hold.

HUGE UPSETS IN MEN'S SINGLES

The men's singles saw two massive upsets on Day 1 of the main rounds. Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas were knocked out of the tournament in the first round of the competition.

Daniil Medvedev found the roasting conditions and a French opponent who had not won a match on grass for three years too hot to handle on Monday, as the ninth seed suffered a 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 loss to Benjamin Bonzi.

The Russian, who reached the semi-finals at the All England Club for the last two years, got all hot and bothered as Bonzi brought out what he described as his "A-game" to dispatch the 2021 US Open champion on Court Two, which felt like an oven throughout the three-hour match.

TSITSIPAS WITHDRAWS

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas said he has no answers to his ongoing fitness problems after being forced to retire from his Wimbledon first-round match on Monday due to a back injury. Former world No. 3 Tsitsipas, seeded 24th this year, was trailing 6-3, 6-2 to French qualifier Valentin Royer when he decided enough was enough.

The twice Grand Slam runner-up cut a disconsolate figure as he spoke to reporters.

"I'm battling many wars these days. It's really painful to see myself in a situation like this," he said.

"I feel like I'm left without answers. I don't know. I've tried everything. I've done an incredible job with my fitness. I've done an incredible job with my physiotherapy, so I've maximized on everything that I possibly can do.

"Right now, I'm just absolutely left with no answers."

Tsitsipas said he has been struggling with a lower back injury since withdrawing from the ATP Tour Finals in 2023, and despite winning the Dubai title this year, his fitness issues have coincided with a slide in the rankings.

"It's probably the most difficult situation that I've ever been faced with, because it's an ongoing issue that doesn't seem to be disappearing or fading," he said.

"I have a limit at some point, so I'll definitely have to have my final answer on whether I want to do stuff or not in the next couple of months.

"Tennis is a rotational sport, and if you can't rotate, then there's no reason playing it."

Tsitsipas has recently started working with Novak Djokovic's former coach Goran Ivanisevic.

"He's great. We're having a great time. I am very disappointed that I wasn't able to show my potential the way I deserve to play on the court," Tsitsipas said.

Tsitsipas has reached only one quarter-final in his last nine Grand Slam tournaments, and his hopes of playing in the U.S. Open now appear to be in jeopardy.

- Ends