Aryna Sabalenka is trying to fight her way to her first Wimbledon title. She has mastered the courts at the Australian Open, but grass has never been her best surface. She has the game for success at Wimbledon, but the history of it.
In the second round of Wimbledon 2025, Sabalenka faced Marie Bouzkova, a player who can hit with power that almost matches Sabalenka. To make matters tougher for the WTA No. 1, Bouzkova is Czech, and any and all women's players from that nation should have confidence in London.
Sabalenka wasn't trying to defeat Bouzkova, but the entire culture of Czech women's tennis, which appears to be set on dominating at Wimbledon. The last two champions have come from the country, and in the first round, five Czech women pushed through into the second round.
Aryna Sabalenka moves into the third round of Wimbledon by defeating Marie Bouzkova
Several have real chances to make a run at the title, including 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova and rising player Linda Noskova. But Sabalenka isn't going to be afraid of any player. She has earned that right.
The Belarusian was tested by good shot-making from Bouzkova, but the Czech could not match Sabalenka's immense power. Few players can, and if Sabalenka learns to volley a bit more, she could be unbeatable in London as long as her serve holds up.
The Belarusian also did what all great players do. In a tight first set, she took control in the tie-break and moved to the lead by winning it 7-4. This happened after Sabalenka was broken late in the set, but she came back to break Bouzkova in the next game.
In the second set, Sabalenka got an early break and simply needed to hold serve the rest of the way, which she did, mostly with ease.
The WTA No. 1 showed no nerves in her final service game, winning at love with smart shots deep in the corners that Bouzkova had no answer for. The Belarusian took the final set 6-4.
Overall, Sabalenka played an exceedingly efficient match. She finished with 41 winners against just 18 unforced errors, and 28 of her 35 net chances. She faced only one break point. She feels like more of a threat to win Wimbledon in 2025 than in any previous year.