Despite 30 break points, Gracheva defeated in a hard-fought battle by Sasnovich at Wimbledon

Varvara Gracheva pushed herself to the limit during the first round of Wimbledon. The French player, facing Aliaksandra Sasnovich, delivered a fierce battle against the Belarusian in a match that remained uncertain until the very last point.

In a match where both players conceded numerous breaks (21 in total—11 for Sasnovich and 10 for Gracheva), it was ultimately the qualifier who emerged victorious.

The Frenchwoman served for the match at 5-4 in the third set, even missing a match point. The 24-year-old fought hard, saving seven match points before finally succumbing after an intense battle (6-4, 6-7, 7-6 in 3 hours and 27 minutes), concluding with a super tie-break in the third set.

Gracheva broke her opponent 10 times after earning 30 break points throughout the match. Following her qualifying victories against Martinez Cirez (6-0, 6-0), Selekhmeteva (6-2, 6-3), and Seministaja (7-5, 6-3), the world No. 107 secured her fourth consecutive win in the tournament.

In the second round, the 31-year-old will face Elina Svitolina for a spot in the round of 16. The Belarusian leads their head-to-head 2-1 against the Ukrainian and has won their last two encounters. For context, Svitolina had already secured her place earlier in the afternoon with a win over Anna Bondar (6-3, 6-1).