Top seed Sabalenka draws qualifier Branstine in Wimbledon first round

World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s quest for her first Wimbledon title will begin against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine. (AP)
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Updated 27 June 2025
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Top seed Sabalenka draws qualifier Branstine in Wimbledon first round

  • Friday’s draw also pitched defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, the 17th seed, against Alexandra Eala of the Philippines

LONDON: World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s quest for her first Wimbledon title will begin against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine while second seed Coco Gauff’s opener will be versus Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.

Friday’s draw also pitched defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, the 17th seed, against Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.

Third seed Jessica Pegula’s first-round opponent is Italian qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto, while fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, runner-up last year, faces Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.

Belarusian Sabalenka could meet Paolini in the semifinals while Gauff is in line for a clash with fellow American Pegula.

British number one Emma Raducanu faces an intriguing opening round match against compatriot Mingge Xu, one of three British teenaged wildcards in the draw.


South Africa do not fear Salah or Marmoush, coach Broos says

Updated 25 December 2025
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South Africa do not fear Salah or Marmoush, coach Broos says

  • South Africa’s Belgian coach said he will not use a special approach to contain Salah or Marmoush
  • “We are focused on no one. The most important thing is ⁠the team,” Bross said

RABAT: Coach Hugo Broos said South Africa do not fear Egypt’s Premier League contingent, Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, ahead of their Group B clash in the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
Manchester City forward Marmoush scored the equalizer against Zimbabwe, before a late strike from Liverpool’s Salah secured a 2-1 win in their opening game in Morocco on Monday.
South Africa beat Angola by the ⁠same score in their Group B opener thanks to Lyle Foster’s screamer.
South Africa’s Belgian coach said he will not use a special approach to contain Salah or Marmoush.
“We are focused on no one. The most important thing is ⁠the team,” Bross, who led Cameroon to the 2017 edition title over Egypt, told a press conference on Thursday.
“We all know how good Salah is, we all know how good Marmoush is and we all know how good Trezeguet is and other players. They are such a good team. Why should we focus on one player? We ⁠have to be prepared to beat the team.”
The last meeting between the two sides in AFCON ended in South Africa’s favor, after they beat the hosts of the 2019 edition 1-0 in the Round of 16.
“We have to put Egypt in difficult (situations) and you can only do that when you use your quality and the players you normally use,” added Broos.