PARIS — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka despatched an early warning to her French Open rivals, producing a dominant show in her first-round victory over Kamilla Rakhimova on Sunday.
Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, cranked up her serve underneath the roof of the primary showcourt to blow away Rakhimova 6-1, 6-0 in precisely an hour.
The 27-year-old Sabalenka broke out to a 3-0 lead within the second set after scampering to a ball that had clipped the online wire and crushing a forehand winner.
“I am tremendous completely satisfied to be again in Paris,” mentioned Sabalenka, who reached the semifinals in 2023. “… The primary rounds are all the time tough … however I am tremendous completely satisfied to get the win and undergo.”
China’s Zheng Qinwen, who gained an Olympic singles gold medal on the identical court docket eventually 12 months’s Paris Video games, eased previous 2021 finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-3 to stretch her successful run on the Parisian clay to seven matches.
“That feeling is unforgettable,” the eighth-seeded Qinwen mentioned of her win on the Paris Olympics. “It’s the finest expertise of my life to date. I’ll carry the gold-medal mentality all by this event.”
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina additionally made a formidable begin Sunday, dropping simply two video games in a 6-1, 6-1 rout of Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez.
Canadian teen Victoria Mboko, making her Grand Slam debut, used her large serve and terrific backhand to beat 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Lulu Solar 6-1, 7-6 (4). Mboko reached a prime velocity of 115 mph and delivered seven aces on her serve. She gained all 10 of her service video games, saving all seven break factors amassed by Solar.
“This does, clearly, really feel actually fast for me,” mentioned the 18-year-old Mboko, who has been represented by expertise company IMG because the age of 12. “Though it feels fast, I really feel like I am additionally adapting in a short time. I wish to be on this degree. To adapt actually quick is absolutely necessary to me. The extra I really feel like I make it appear regular to me, the extra regular it will be in these tournaments.”
In different matches, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who secured her first win since getting back from maternity go away on the Italian Open final week, bowed out with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 loss to Viktorija Golubic.
Germany’s Eva Lys ousted American Peyton Stearns, the No. 28 seed, with a 6-0, 6-3 win.
Reuters and The Related Press contributed to this report.
