Carson Branstine, the WTA’s 197th-ranked player, has issued an amusing response after her Wimbledon first-round draw was announced with Aryna Sabalenka at the All-England Club on June 30.
24-year-old Branstine was a teenage prodigy in doubles. She won both the French and Australian Open Junior doubles titles in 2017. Originally from the US, she began representing Canada in March 2017. Her singles achievements have been modest thus far, but her defeat of French Open star Lois Boisson in Wimbledon qualifying has set up her tilt at the irrepressible Belarusian.
Branstine shared her thoughts on the draw on her X account, laughing off the fact that she’s been handed arguably the toughest match possible. She posted:
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"Maybe one day I'll get a good draw LOL"
Branstine's best performance this year was at the WTA125 event in Cancun in February. The Canadian defeated Maya Joint en route to the final of the tournament, but then lost to Emiliano Arango 1-6, 2-6. She failed to qualify for this year's other Majors in Australia and France.
Aryna Sabalenka has been given a favorable draw at Wimbledon this year
Despite Carson Branstine's progress through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw, Aryna Sabalenka will be heavily favored to get past the Canadian. Should she do so, the tennis gods have given her a decent route through the tournament. She avoided both Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina in the latter stages of the event.
Two-time Major champion Sabalenka has underperformed, by her exacting standards, at previous Wimbledon's. Two semifinal appearances in 2021 and 2023 represent her best showings. She was beaten in 2023 by eventual finalist Ons Jabeur and in 2021 by Karen Pilskova. She was caught up in the ban on Russian and Belarusian players in 2022 and was injured for last year's tournament.
After missing Wimbledon in 2023, Aryna Sabalenka spoke of her regard for the tournament and how disappointed she was that politics had interfered with her attempt to win the title. She told Sky Sports:
"I mean, missing the Wimbledon was really tough for me. It was tough moment for me. It's not about Wimbledon right now. It's just about the hard work I've done. I think everyone still knows that I'm Belarusian player. That's it."
On her side of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka could meet 2024 quarterfinalist Lulu Sun in the second round, which could set up a mouthwatering clash against home favorite Emma Raducanu or former titleist Marketa Vondrousova. Sabalenka has had to settle for second-place finishes in her last two Grand Slams and has yet to win a WTA title on grass.
