WIMBLEDON, England -- While her athleticism is, at times, breathtaking, consistency has never been Sabalenka’s calling card. Until this year.

Heading into her second-round match against Varvara Gracheva, Sabalenka had won 13 of 14 major matches -- and 10 straight in the second round of majors.

While the 22-year-old Gracheva is unquestionably a rising force in the game, Sabalenka was an overwhelming favorite to advance to the third round. And yet, it was Gracheva, serving at 5-4 in the second set, who was within a game of the tournament’s biggest upset of the first week on either side.

Wimbledon: Scores | Draws | Order of play

There were flashes of the old Sabalenka -- slumping shoulders, double faults and animated conversations with her box -- but she rallied Friday to defeat Gracheva 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Sabalenka won nine of the last 11 games, another example of her growing maturity.

With that, make that 14-1 in majors, better than Iga Swiatek (13-1) and No.3 Elena Rybakina (10-2). After starting her career 2-4 in second-round matches at the Slams, Sabalenka is now 11-0.

At the age of 25, Sabalenka has settled into herself, and the results, now routine, have been memorable. Back at the Australian Open in January, the No.2-seeded Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam singles title and last month advanced to the semifinals of Roland Garros.

Watching her press interviews, seeing her move around the grounds here, there is an unabashed sense of joy about Sabalenka. That’s because a year ago, she wasn’t allowed to compete when the All England Club banned Belarusian and Russian players because of the conflict with Ukraine.

Day 5: Wimbledon

“I really love Wimbledon,” Sabalenka told reporters after her first-round win over Panna Udvardy. “It was really tough period for me last year. I was just super happy to be here this year. Since then I really enjoyed every second today on court, enjoyed the atmosphere. I think I actually didn’t realize how much I missed Wimbledon last year till today’s match.

“I have great memories from two years ago. I made semifinals.”

She made another one in the first round with a tweener that went viral. She crashed the net when Udvardy only got a small piece of a big serve, but then raced back when the Hungarian threw up a lob. At nearly full speed, five feet past the baseline, back to the net and lifting her left leg, Sabalenka stroked a shot that Udvardy only got back in play with a stab volley. Although she lost the point, Sabalenka acknowledged the applause with a fiery fist.

Later, Sabalenka addressed her good friend Ons Jabeur with a retweet of the All England Club’s highlight, asking, “What do u think?” Jabeur replied: “Good student.”

On Friday, Sabalenka came out wearing a white dress with forest-green shorts -- a welcome response to the All England Club’s more relaxed rules regarding wardrobe. It took all of two minutes to forge an advantage, as Sabalenka broke Gracheva’s serve to open the match. And then she was broken herself.

Serving at 2-3, Sabalenka lost at love and looked to her box and gestured with her hands. Serving to stay in the set down 5-2, Sabalenka served up double faults No.4 and No.5, then sent a loose forehand and an errant backhand long. The whole thing was done in 34 minutes and Sabalenka immediately left the court for a much-needed reset.

Gracheva opened the second set with another love game, giving her 10 straight points.

When things weren’t going particularly well a little later in the second set, Sabalenka issued a startling scream.

“I was little bit crazy in that moment,” she said. “I can’t throw my racquet on the grass, so I felt like at least I need to scream, kind of lose it a little bit. After that I felt a little bit better. I felt a little relief inside, started thinking a little bit better.”

Later, Gracheva suddenly found herself serving for the match at 5-4 but was broken. Sabalenka won the last three games, leveling the match.

The third set was all Sabalenka. She broke Gracheva twice and was flawless on her own serve. Sabalenka finished with eight aces.

“I didn’t play my best tennis,” Sabalenka said. “It was really crazy, crazy experience. But then I change my strings, kind of adjust my game a little bit, start feeling better on court. I kept telling myself keep fighting, keep trying, and probably you’ll be able to turn around this game.

“Super tough one and super happy to get this win.”