Second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won the first match at Wimbledon in two years on Monday, seeing off Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu in straight sets.
Sabalenka won 6-1, 6-4 under the roof of Court One and will face either Danielle Lao of the United States or Britain’s Katie Boulter for a place in the last 32. Last year’s Wimbledon was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic while play at this year’s event was delayed by rain on the outside courts.