Aryna Sabalenka won her first round of the 2026 Australian Open on Sunday, defeating Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
Sabalenka, a two-time champion in Melbourne, recovered from a break down in the first set to defeat the French player 6-4, 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena.
Sabalenka, who is the stand-out favourite for the 2026 Australian Open Women’s Singles title, will play Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Zhou Bai in the second round.
The Belarusian, who is aiming to win her fifth Grand Slam title this fortnight, reacted to her win during Sunday’s post-match press conference, noting a particular tactic she used to great effect during the match.
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Aryna Sabalenka has been working on her serve and volley
During Sabalenka’s post-match press conference, one reporter noted that the Belarusian came to the net 22 times during Sunday’s contest.
“I prefer to be unpredictable,” Sabalenka said while smiling.
“But yeah, I was definitely working on serve and volley. I’m super happy to be able to do it in the match.
“You know, on the practice is one thing, but to be able to be kind of, like, fearless and go there at the match is something else. I’m really proud I’m able to show this tennis.”
Later in the press conference, a reporter said: “Back to the net stuff that’s been obviously a priority for you. Every year you turn up here you seem to be adding constantly to your game. How important do you think constantly evolving as a player is to your success?”
Sabalenka replied: “Yeah, I think it’s very important to always working on your game, always developing as a player, always searching for something that is new, that is going to help your game.
“I think that’s the key to be consistent, always bring something new on the table.
“I think over the years we’ve developed my game so much. We added a lot of new things. Yeah, I’m proud of the work we’ve done together with my team.”
Sabalenka makes Australian Open history
As per OptaAce, no active player has won more matches than Aryna Sabalenka [29] from their first 35 matches in Women’s Singles at the Australian Open.
The Belarusian will hope to improve that record further when she plays either Zhou Bai or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.
If Sabalenka advances to the third round, she could face Emma Raducanu.
The pair contested two high-quality matches last year, the first being in the Wimbledon third round. Sabalenka defeated Raducanu 7-6, 6-4, despite the British star’s best efforts.
Sabalenka defeated Raducanu a month later in Cincinnati, winning the contest 7-6, 4-6, 7-6.
How will Emma Raducanu fare at the Australian Open after receiving this draw?
It seems highly likely that Sabalenka will reach the third round in Australia. After all, she is a two-time champion and a player who seems to thrive when competing in Melbourne.
However, Raducanu’s path is less certain. Her form has been sporadic to start the year, as demonstrated by her first round loss to Taylah Preston in Hobart.
If Raducanu defeats Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the first round, she will play Suzan Lamens or Anastasia Potapova in her following match.
