Ukraine's tennis queens take court at Wimbledon - How to watch and who they face
Dayana Yastremska to face a tough challenge right from the start (photo: Getty Images)
On July 1, three Ukrainian tennis players—Marta Kostyuk, Dayana Yastremska, and Yuliia Starodubtseva—will begin their campaigns in the main draw of Wimbledon. Here are the predictions, match times, and where to watch the matches of the Ukrainian athletes.
Kostyuk's fifth attempt
Marta Kostyuk, Ukraine's second-ranked player, will be the first on the court. Currently ranked 26th in the world, she will face Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec, the world No. 171. The match is scheduled to begin no earlier than 1:00 PM Kyiv time.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two players. Erjavec rarely competes in top-level tournaments and qualified for the Wimbledon 2025 main draw through the qualifying rounds.
According to bookmakers, Kostyuk is the clear favorite. The odds for her victory are 1.09. A win for Erjavec would be a sensation, with odds at 7.0.
This is Kostyuk's fifth consecutive appearance in the Wimbledon main draw. She reached the third round in 2023 and 2024.
Starodubtseva faces a home player
Around 4:30 PM Kyiv time, the fourth-ranked Ukrainian player, Yuliia Starodubtseva (world No. 68), is expected to take the court against Britain's Francesca Jones (No. 122 WTA).
The 24-year-old Jones received a wildcard into the main draw as a home player.
The two athletes have met only once before, last year at a clay tournament in Mexico. Jones won that first-round match (7:5, 6:4) and went on to reach the final.
Bookmakers give both players nearly equal chances, though Jones is a slight favorite. Her win is rated at 1.83, while Starodubtseva's is at 1.94.
This is Starodubtseva's second appearance at Wimbledon. Last year, she came through the qualifiers and reached the second round of the main draw.
Test for Yastremska
In the evening session, around 7:00 PM Kyiv time, Ukraine's third-ranked player and world No. 42, Dayana Yastremska, will attempt to pull off an upset against world No. 2 Coco Gauff from the United States.
The players have faced each other three times before, all on clay courts, with Gauff winning each time. Their most recent meeting was earlier this year in Madrid, where Gauff won in three sets: 0:6, 6:2, 7:5.
Gauff is the clear favorite for this match. Her odds to win are 1.13, while Yastremska's stand at 5.66.
This year's Wimbledon will be Yastremska's fourth appearance. Her personal best is reaching the Round of 16 in 2019.
Where to watch Wimbledon 2025
The official broadcaster of Wimbledon in Ukraine is Setanta Sports.
Matches from the main men's and women's draws will be streamed live on the Setanta Sports OTT platform, and Setanta Sports and Setanta Sports+ TV channels.
Matches featuring Ukrainian players will also be available on the YouTube channel Setanta Sports.
Earlier, we reported that Elina Svitolina received a prestigious award for her performances under the Ukrainian flag.
