The WTA tournament in Båstad is underway – and Tuesday’s first match on Center Court brought early excitement for the home crowd. Sweden’s Caijsa Hennemann, who entered the main draw via a wild card, stunned the audience by winning the opening set 6–3 against world-class player Mayar Sherif.

Hennemann, currently ranked No. 1024 in the world, recently returned to competition after an injury layoff. She arrived in Båstad following a semifinal appearance at a $35,000 ITF event in Ystad – her best result of the season so far.

But as the match progressed, Sherif – the tournament’s fifth seed and world No. 86 – showed why she’s considered part of the global elite. With greater power and a more consistent baseline game, the Egyptian gradually took control. She went on to dominate the second and third sets, winning convincingly 6–1, 6–2. Sherif also recorded two aces during the match.

With the loss, Caijsa Hennemann becomes the second Swedish player to exit the tournament.

Swedish hopes now rest on 18-year-old Linea Bajraliu, who faces a daunting challenge in her WTA debut. She has been drawn against top seed Lucia Bronzetti.

Mayar Sherif will face the winner of the match between Berfu Cengiz (Turkey) and Varvara Lepchenko (USA) in the next round. Sherif previously reached the quarterfinals in Båstad in 2021 – the question now is whether she can go even further this year.