Sabalenka rallies from 5-2 down in second set to beat Kessler; Ostapenko next
LONDON -- No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka had to come from 5-2 down in the second set and save four set points before quelling an impressive challenge from McCartney Kessler 6-1, 7-6(9) in the Wimbledon second round.
She will next face former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko, who delivered a near-flawless performance to dismiss Antonia Ruzic 6-2, 6-0 in just 66 minutes. The Latvian put the struggles -- and the 13 double faults -- of her three-set opener against Harriet Dart behind her, striking a remarkable 34 winners to only 10 unforced errors.
By contrast, Sabalenka was relieved to escape from what she described as "a true battle" in straight sets.
"Incredible level in the second set from her," she said in her on-court interview. "She really tested me today, and I'm really happy to pass the test ... She really stepped in, she played super aggressive. It felt like whatever decisions she would make, it would work for her."
The result mirrored the scoreline of Sabalenka's only previous meeting with Kessler, in the 2025 Indian Wells second round, in which she was also stretched to one tiebreak before winning 7-6(4), 6-3. But the World No. 1 is renowned for thriving in tiebreaks -- she extended her 2026 record in them to 9-2, following her 22-3 record in 2025. It was also her 21st consecutive tiebreak win at Grand Slam level, extending her Open Era record.
"I'm glad from the outside it looks like I'm really calm," Sabalenka said of her mindset during tiebreaks. "Inside I'm like, 'OK, please get this point.'
"I think on a serious note, on the tiebreak I'm willing to focus point by point, not going really too far in the future or staying too much in the past. I think that's been really working well. I'm kind of like free. I trust my shots on the tiebreak. I think that really makes a big difference.
"Also, tiebreak is a thing the way you start is most likely the way it's going to go. Every point makes difference, at the beginning especially. I feel like trusting my shots and staying aggressive on the tiebreaks really helps me to get these incredible stats."
How did Kessler push Sabalenka so hard?
After being firmly shut out in the first set, the 26-year-old Kessler switched up her tactics to brilliant effect in the second. Most effectively, she committed to judiciously-timed net approaches, mixed in just enough to keep Sabalenka guessing. And when she got there, Kessler -- last year's Nottingham champion on grass -- was magnificent. After breaking Sabalenka for 4-2, Kessler consolidated the hold via one of the best net points of the tournament so far, withstanding multiple attempted full-power passes before finding an angled volley winner.
In total, the American won 11 out of 15 net points in the second set as she sought her third career Top 10 win, and first over a reigning World No. 1.
How did Sabalenka escape with the second set?
In general, the four-time major champion can be relied upon to swing harder and faster with her back to the wall, and that proved the case against Kessler. The World No. 57 held her first two set points serving at 5-3; on the first, Sabalenka unleashed a backhand return down the line, and on the second, Kessler sent a forehand long.
The set went with serve until the tiebreak, and from the third point of it to the last neither player built a two-point advantage. Kessler held two further set points, at 7-6 -- saved by a Sabalenka service winner -- and at 8-7, when Sabalenka found a terrific forehand volley to win her fifth net point out of six in the set.
Kessler saved two match points against her down 6-5 and 9-8, but Sabalenka slammed her 32nd winner of the day, a superb off forehand, to convert her third.
"Stay low and put the pressure back on her," Sabalenka said she had been reminding herself in the tightest moments. "And maybe you'll be lucky enough to get this set."
What to expect from Sabalenka vs. Ostapenko?
Sabalenka leads her head-to-head against Ostapenko 3-1, but the most recent of their meetings was won by the latter -- a 6-4, 6-1 triumph in the 2025 Stuttgart final. This will also be their first match on grass, a surface on which Ostapenko owns two titles to Sabalenka's zero.
"Grass is one of my favorite surfaces," said Ostapenko, who was embracing the prospect of a meeting with the World No. 1 without imbuing it with extra significance.
"I like interesting matches," she said. "I think tennis is a big challenge in general, I don't think those other things are extra challenges ... I just take it as another match. She's a great player but I think I have to do what I have to do and focus more on myself."