Ukrainian landing under the royal balcony

Held in London at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the tournament will captivate the tennis world for the next two weeks. Fans will closely follow their favorite athletes, while those without a national representative will simply enjoy the spectacle of the sport’s finest players in action.

We’re thrilled to have eight Ukrainian women competing in the singles draw!

The first match featured Dayana Yastremska from Odesa against Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska. Dayana is pure passion — her matches are always exciting, though they can test our nerves. She started strong with a dominant 6-1 lead, but, in classic Dayana fashion, she made sure to keep us on edge.

On the other side, Podoroska — an Argentine with Ukrainian roots — seemed to channel a bit of that Cossack fighting spirit in the second set, pushing the match to a tiebreaker. But as my neighbor in the stands joked, it was a lost cause for Nadia. Dayana sealed the tiebreak 7-1, securing the win.

This felt like a different Dayana — still aggressive, fearless, and a true fighter, but also more mature in her game. Her second serves were solid, and she moved away from her old habit of trying to finish points with a single shot.

Congratulations to Dayana! Now, we’re looking forward to Marta’s match.

Two people stand on the royal balcony, cups of coffee in hand. The organizers always schedule intriguing matches on these courts — just in case someone from the Palace decides to drop by.

Our next star is Marta Kostyuk from Kyiv, facing Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova. The opponent is attempting an aggressive style of play, but Marta remains unfazed. She’s matured, staying composed even when losing points, quickly analyzing and adjusting. The result? The first set is ours: 6-3.

Behind us, the Slovak fans are understandably frustrated, letting out a few curses. But that doesn’t change anything. We cheer even louder. Alongside our “Go, Marta!” in Ukrainian we hear an enthusiastic “Come on, Marta!” in English. It’s a nice sentiment — much appreciated!

In the second set, Rebecca started making mistakes. It seems only Dayana can afford to play aggressive tennis from start to finish. Marta, on the other hand, calmly and confidently closed out the match — 6:2. Bravo!

Up on the balcony, the royals finished their coffee and left — there was nothing more to watch. Our girls were done with their games.

Unfortunately, over on the next court, Lesia Tsurenko fell to Varvara Gracheva, who now plays under the French flag. Lesia is a true fighter, but she didn’t seem to be feeling her best — it was noticeable. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her back stronger at the next tournament!

According to Wimbledon rules, cheering with a flag is not allowed. But Ukrainians, as always, find creative ways around it. Some wear the yellow and blue as a cape, others use it as a decoration—perhaps even as a flowerpot. In reality, we are the only ones here with flags. The judges do their best not to notice. Thank you! Because in peaceful times, we wouldn’t have broken the rules.

The first day is all about reunions and warm embraces. Everyone asks, “How are you?” And now, for us, that question is no longer answered with a simple “fine.” Every Ukrainian puts deep emotions into it, waiting to hear about family and friends in return. These moments stretch longer, as no one wants to walk away too soon.

Yuliia Starodubtseva from Kakhovka had to wait a bit for her match. She earned her spot in the Wimbledon main draw through qualifying. Now, she faces a tough challenge against Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck, who recently won a WTA grass-court tournament. Of course, we believe in our girl—but this won’t be an easy match.

The sun has set, and the wind has picked up — not ideal conditions. But our team of supporters is here in full force, keeping each other warm with hope.

Yuliia isn't playing under the royal balcony, but perhaps the organizers will regret that — because this match is turning into quite a story. In the opening minutes, Starodubtseva is visibly nervous and loses her serve. Then, something shifts. She adapts to Alison's game and takes the first set, 6-4!

Now it's the Belgian who’s rattled, dropping three straight games at the start of the second set. She regroups, battling back to 3-3. The tension rises — we’re all on edge! But our fearless Yulia pushes ahead and seals the victory, 6-3!

Congratulations on her debut in the second round of a Grand Slam! And now, we eagerly await the next match.

The first day of Wimbledon ends on a high note. Dayana Yastremska, Marta Kostyuk, and Yuliia Starodubtseva are all through to the second round. Tomorrow, we’ll be cheering for another Ukrainian quartet — each unique, each an incredible athlete.

Hopefully, the organizers get it right this time and put our players under the royal balcony again. And they won't let us down!

Author German-Shakhly Tetyana