Top Seeds Sabalenka, Pegula and Gauff Headline Wednesday’s Action

A standing ovation greeted Serena Williams as she stepped onto Centre Court at the nearly sold-out Steffi Graf Stadion. The crowd warmly welcomed the GOAT – the Greatest of All Time – and continued to cheer her throughout her long-awaited return to competition.

However, Serena’s doubles comeback alongside Karolina Muchova (CZE) came to an end after 1 hour and 29 minutes. Giuliana Olmos (MEX) and Erin Routliffe (NZL) earned a deserved 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Following an exciting opening round, the tournament’s top stars will take to the courts on Wednesday, with Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff all beginning their campaigns.

Good news for Germany: Hamburg native Eva Lys defeated Poland’s Magdalena Frech 7-6(7), 6-3 in the second round. After a closely contested first set featuring break-point opportunities for both players, Lys converted her set point with a fortunate net winner to take the tiebreak 9-7. In the second set, the German found her rhythm after some early issues with her shoelaces and secured the victory 6-3.

Eva Lys will face Elina Svitolina in the round of 16.

In the round of 16, Eva Lys will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. The world No. 8 advanced when her opponent, Anna Kalinskaya, retired due to respiratory issues while trailing 6-1, 4-1.

Madison Keys (USA, WTA No. 28) has also advanced to the round of 16. The 2025 Australian Open champion and former world No. 5 gave Berlin’s runner-up from last year, Xinyu Wang (CHN), no chance, winning 7–6(3), 6–1. The Czech player Karolina Muchova won even more convincingly, making short work of Chinese qualifier Shuai Zhang (6-1, 6-3). Madison Keysand Karolina Muchova will now face off directly in the round of 16.

World No. 13 Linda Noskova advanced to the round of 16 with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Mexican qualifier Renata Zarazua. She is joined by fellow Czechs Karolina Muchova, Katerina Siniakova and Nikola Bartunkova, giving the Czech Republic a strong four-player presence in the last 16.

Diane Parry (FRA) continued her impressive run in Berlin, producing another strong performance to upset Denmark’s Clara Tauson (WTA No. 23) 6-3, 6-4 and secure her place in the round of 16. The world No. 60 will next face Linda Noskova for a place in the quarterfinals.

In doubles action, Asia Muhammad (USA) and Fanny Stollar (HUN) battled back to defeat Anna Danilina (KAZ) and Aleksandra Krunić (SRB) 3-6, 7-6(8), 10-6 in a match tie-break. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula (USA) advanced with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Anastasia Potapova and Diana Shnaider, while Sara Errani (ITA) and Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) defeated Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan (CHN) 6-2, 7-5. Ekaterina Alexandrova and Linda Noskova (CZE) also moved into the next round, overcoming Ellen Perez (AUS) and Demi Schuurs (NED) 7-6(2), 7-5.

Serena Williams Enjoying Her Return to Grass, Plans Wimbledon Doubles with Venus

In her post-match press conference, Serena Williams said: “I felt comfortable on grass today. I’m also excited that my sister Venus and I have received a doubles wild card for Wimbledon, especially after my daughter Olympia told me, ‘Mom, you should play with Venus.’”

Williams also dismissed rumors that Coco Gauff had declined the opportunity to play doubles with her. Earlier in the day, Gauff said that if Serena had asked her, she would have accepted immediately. Gauff even apologized to her doubles partner Jessica Pegula, who laughed and admitted she could hardly blame her.

Williams added that she enjoys playing alongside Karolina Muchova, but suggested the door remains open for a future partnership with Gauff.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka Expected to Take the Court on Wednesday

All eyes will be on the tournament’s biggest stars on Wednesday as top seeds Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff begin their Berlin campaigns. World No. 1 Sabalenka will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, while Pegula takes on Czech Katerina Siniakovaand Gauff meets Spain’s Paula Badosa.

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