Teodora Kostović gets the toughest possible opening at Wimbledon: the 19-year-old qualifier is making her Grand Slam debut against Aryna Sabalenka in the first round. Sabalenka is the world No. 1, and the matchup puts a debutant straight into the path of the tournament’s top seed.
Kostović did not sound interested in easing into the main draw. After qualifying, she said, “Let's see if she can deal with my power,” and added, “Of course I can beat her. I can beat anybody when I'm in the zone.”
Aryna Sabalenka in Wimbledon
Sabalenka brings a strong Wimbledon record into the match. She has reached the semifinals in each of her last three appearances at the tournament, but she has never reached the final. She also did not compete at Wimbledon in 2024 and 2022.
Teodora Kostović after qualifying
Kostović earned her place in the main draw through qualifying, then immediately stepped into a first-round meeting with the most difficult possible opponent. That path matters because it turns a routine opening match into a debut with no margin for a slow start.
The contrast is sharp. Sabalenka comes in as the massive -7000 favorite despite losing in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and finishing runner-up at the Australian Open this year. Kostović arrives with a public claim that she can beat anyone when she is in the zone, and she will have to back that up against the World No 1.
Wimbledon first-round stakes
The match now carries the cleanest kind of pressure: a Grand Slam debutant against a player expected to win. For Kostović, the immediate task is not to talk past the draw but to turn qualifying momentum into points on serve and enough return pressure to keep the match from slipping away early. For Sabalenka, the draw leaves no room for a loose first set against an opponent who has already shown belief in the matchup.
Can Teodora Kostovic turn a qualifying run and that confidence into the kind of upset that changes the tone of Wimbledon’s first round?
