Aryna Sabalenka fended off Carson Branstine to book her place in the second round at Wimbledon.

Top seed Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon last year due to injury, eased to a 6-1 7-5 victory on Monday.

The world number one grabbed a swift double break in the opening set, though Branstine turned in a much-improved display in the second.

It was not enough to derail Sabalenka, though, who held off a break point in her first service game.

Sabalenka nosed herself ahead at 6-5 and served out the win at the first time of asking.

Earlier, one-time grand slam champion Jelena Ostapenko suffered a shock defeat to home hope Sonay Kartal.

Kartal triumphed 7-5 2-6 6-2 to become the first Brit to qualify for the second round.

"That was by far one of the toughest matches I've played," she said after claiming her third top-20 victory of 2025.

"I would say that I struggle against the big hitters. I've made a conscious effort this year to play the bigger matches and put myself under the most pressure out on court.

"I knew that I wouldn't get the results straight away but that it would eventually pay off, and that's what happened today."

1 - Sonay Kartal is the first British player in the Open Era to defeat a former Grand Slam Champion in Wimbledon's Women's Singles First Round. Accomplishment.#Wimbledon #Wimbledon2025 | @Wimbledon @the_LTA @WTA pic.twitter.com/GBWGi56lAO

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) June 30, 2025

Elsewhere, Elina Svitolina defeated Anna Bondar 6-3 6-1. She is one of the two undefeated players in the opening rounds of the majors in the last seven years (21-0), along with Ash Barty (10-0). 

Two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur, meanwhile, retired from her match against Viktoriya Tomova due to injury. 

Data Debrief: Sabalenka's half-century

Sabalenka has become the ninth player since the turn of the century to claim 50 WTA Tour-level wins as world number one, after Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Ash Barty and Iga Swiatek.

Kartal, meanwhile, became the first British woman in the Open Era to defeat a former grand slam champion in the opening round at Wimbledon.