World number one Aryna Sabalenka overcame the “pressure” of being watched by tennis legends Roger Federer and Rod Laver to start her Australian Open campaign with victory.
Error-prone Sabalenka defeated French wildcard Tiansoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4 6-1 on the Rod Laver Arena.
Advertisement
Federer, a six-time Australian Open men’s champion, and Laver, a three-time winner, were ringside during the first-round match, with Sabalenka joking that she was trying not to look at them.
Sabalenka, who won the Melbourne title twice, later took a selfie with the two.
“I wanted to show some good tennis so that you would enjoy watching me play. What a privilege. I really hope you enjoyed it just a little bit,” said Sabalenka from Belarus.
“It was a lot of pressure. I was walking around thinking ‘don’t look there, don’t look there’.”
Sabalenka has an impressive record in Australia, having lost just one set en route to back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, and has lost just one of her last 22 tournament matches – a surprise three-set loss to American Madison Keys in last year’s final.
Advertisement
His good form is not limited to the blue courts of Melbourne either: five of his 22 career singles titles have been won on Australian soil, including preparing for this year’s major with victory at the Brisbane International.
However, Sabalenka did not do all she could against world number 118 Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
In an unusually complicated first set, Sabalenka saw her serve broken in the first game of the match and, although she fought back immediately, saw 16 winners nullified by 13 unforced errors.
After saving a break point for 4-4, the match became increasingly one-sided, with Sabalenka winning five games in a row to take control.
Advertisement
“I didn’t start at my best. She was on fire and she was playing very well,” said Sabalenka, who is aiming for a fourth consecutive Australian Open final.
Sabalenka will face either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Bai Zhuoxuan in the second round, with Britain’s Emma Raducanu a possible third-round opponent.
Aryna Sabalenka took a post-match selfie with Roger Federer and Rod Laver (Getty Images)
