On the women's side of Wimbledon tennis, Sabalenka from Belarus defeated Canadian qualifier Carson Branstein 6-1, 7-5 in the first match.
Sabalenka, 27, is a three-time Grand Slam champion. But at the All England Club, she has not reached beyond the semi-finals. On the women's side, Sabalenka, the top seed, advanced to the second round with her victory.
She is looking to ease the pain of defeats in the Australian and French Open finals this year. The 24-year-old Canadian is playing in her first Grand Slam main draw. In qualifying, she had important wins over French Open semi-finalists Louise Boisson and Bianca Andreescu. In the second set, the match was tied at 5-5 and Sabalenka advanced.
The former champion of the US Open, Daniil Medvedev, suffered defeat in the first match of Wimbledon tennis on Monday. He lost to Benjamin Bonzi of France. Russian player Medvedev, who reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon consecutively in the last two years, this time's attempt at the All England Club was failed by Benjamin, who is ranked 64 in the world.
Bonzi defeated ninth seed Medvedev 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 on Court 2 in three hours and 7 minutes. For the first time in his seventh Wimbledon trip, Medvedev has failed to get past the opening round. A six-time Grand Slam finalist, he has had a disappointing career in major tournaments. Before Wimbledon, he lost in the second round of the Australian Open and the first round of the French Open.
Medvedev, who defeated top seed Janik Sinner in the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year, lost to defending champion Carlos Alcarez in the semifinals.
"It's my first win against a top 10 player in a Grand Slam, I knew it would be a tough match, but sometimes playing against a top player in the first round and winning is a big achievement in itself," Bonji said, "The tournament is always special, I love this place, so it's very special." Meanwhile, for the first time, Nepali TV channel Kantipur Max is broadcasting live from Wimbledon.
