Aryna Sabalenka has powered her way into the third round at Wimbledon 2025, navigating a tournament that has already witnessed an unusually high number of upsets among seeded players. The current women’s world No.1 looked composed and determined as she secured a straight sets win over Marie Bouzkova with a scoreline of 7-6(4) 6-4 on Centre Court.
During her post-match chat, Sabalenka reflected on the surprising early exits that have become a theme at this year’s Championships. Of the 64 seeded contenders in the singles draws, an astonishing 23 were knocked out in the opening round alone. Despite the trend, Sabalenka made it clear that she prefers to keep her focus inward. “It’s sad to see so many top players losing early but it shows you need to concentrate on your own game and not get distracted by what’s happening around you,” she said.
The 27-year-old Belarusian, playing as the top seed at Wimbledon for the first time, is now looking to convert her solid form into her maiden Grand Slam title on grass. She acknowledged a few tense moments in her second-round clash, especially when Bouzkova broke for a 6-5 lead in the first set. However, Sabalenka dug deep to break back immediately and take control of the tiebreak. “I just focused on putting the ball back in play and finding a way to break back. Once I did, it gave me confidence to finish strong,” she added.
Sabalenka’s victory comes after a disappointing French Open final last month, where she fell to Coco Gauff despite holding strong leads and hitting a high number of unforced errors. Against Bouzkova, her performance was far more measured with 41 winners to just 18 unforced errors, indicating she has adapted well to the switch from clay to the fast-paced grass courts of the All England Club.
Meanwhile, in the men’s draw, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz also progressed smoothly, defeating British amateur Oliver Tarvert 6-1 6-4 6-4 in his second-round match.
Sabalenka’s powerful serve and flat groundstrokes make her a dangerous player on grass. Having reached two semi-finals in her last two Wimbledon appearances, she will hope to go even further this time and finally lift the famous trophy. To strengthen her game, Sabalenka has even trained with seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic, who offered her valuable insights on adjusting her game for grass.
With upsets sweeping through the tournament, staying focused and calm could be the edge Sabalenka needs to dodge the upset bug and keep her title dreams alive on Centre Court this season.