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Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her bid to become the first woman to make a quarter-century of three consecutive Australian Open titles by eliminating 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 in just 71 minutes on 12 January.
Sabalenka is the No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, and while she wasn’t perfect in this first-round match — “I didn’t play my best, maybe,” she said — it was a lot better.
As big a server as there is in women’s tennis, Sabalenka didn’t hit her first ace until the 15th game of the match and finished with just two.
He won his first major championship at Melbourne Park in 2023, then added another last January before raising his total to three Slam trophies at the US Open in September.
Martina Hingis was the last woman to win the Australian Open three years in a row from 1997 to 1999.
Sabalenka said, I am very happy to be back. “I like this place.”
In the second round, Sabalenka will face Jessica Bojas Maneiro, who upset reigning champion Marketa Vondrosova at Wimbledon in 2024.
