Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, started her Australian Open campaign with a win over French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, 6-4, 6-1. She played under the watchful eyes of tennis legends Roger Federer and Rod Laver, joking that she tried not to look at them during the match. After winning, she even took a selfie with the two champions.
Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open winner, had a shaky start, losing her serve in the first game and making a few errors, but soon took control and won comfortably. She aims to reach her fourth straight Australian Open final.
Other top seeds had mixed results: Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina won easily, while some seeded players, including Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova and Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, were knocked out in tough matches.
