Follow usAryna Sabalenka kicked off her title defense at the Australian Open for women with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory over German qualifier Ella Zaidel.
The match lasted only 53 minutes and could have easily ended with a double bagel, but at 5-0 and 40-15 in the second set, Sabalenka missed two match points. Despite letting go of four more match points on her serve, she eventually sealed the match on her seventh opportunity.
The Belarusian player delivered six aces and 20 winners, while Zaidel managed only four winners and failed to secure a single direct point from her initial shots.
Sabalenka storms through!@SabalenkaA wraps up a straight sets win 6-0 6-1 to bring down the curtain on Day 1 on Rod Laver Arena.#AusOpen📷 • @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/AHNgMa0p0D
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 14, 2024
In the second round, Sabalenka is set to face Czech player Brenda Fruhvirtova, who earlier today defeated Romania’s Ana Bogdan in three sets.
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