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Explore the latest developments concerning Top seed Aryna.
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MELBOURNE, Australia — Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka defeated a tenacious Bai Zhouxuan of China 6-3, 6-1 Wednesday to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
Sabalenka raced to a 5-0 lead in the first but then needed seven set points at Rod Laver Arena to take the set against the defensive-minded Chinese player, who used clever drop shots to help her stay in the match.
"I was happy to get this win, a tricky opponent," Sabalenka said. "She really stepped in in the first set."
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Aryna Sabalenka joined an exclusive club of the game’s best with another straight-sets triumph at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
The world No.1 eased past Bai Zhuoxuan 6-3 6-1 to advance to the third round, despite the Chinese qualifier showing signs of a fightback from 0-5 down in the first set.
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Aryna Sabalenka is crediting her long-lost mental demons for taking her tennis to new grand slam-winning heights after charging into the Australian Open third round in Melbourne.
The world No.1 outclassed Chinese qualifier Zhuoxuan Bai 6-3 6-1 to post a 22nd win from her past 23 matches at Melbourne Park.
But while it's all happy days now for the Belarusian, Sabalenka believes she would not be a four-time major winner without having to endure the depressing serving yips that once defined her as a grand slam under-achiever.
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Explore the latest developments concerning Sabalenka vs. Rakotomanga.
TL;DR: Live stream Sabalenka vs. Rakotomanga Rajaonah in the 2026 Australian Open for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The 2026 Australian Open serves up the first of this year's top tennis action. While names such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominate the men's side of the game, one name stands above all the competition in the women's game — Arnya Sabalenka.
Sabalenka has been an absolute machine on the court in recent years. She's a two-time Australian Open winner and won the French and US Open last year and reached the Wimbledon final. It's little wonder that the 27-year-old Belarusian enters this tournament as the No. 1 seed. She faces unseeded French youngster Rakotomanga Rajaonah in the first round. The must-watch opener is one of the biggest challenges of the youngster's career so far.
The first Grand Slam of this year is here as 256 singles players have descended upon Melbourne to compete for the Australian Open title. Day 1 kicks off with 16 women’s matches, including Aryna Sabalenka vs Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah. Our other prediction articles feature Jasmine Paolini vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Emma Raducanu vs Mananchaya Sawangkaew, and Venus Williams vs Olga Danilovic. Offering their insights and predictions are Zain Mustafa, Ateet Shrivastava, and Ilemona Onekutu. But who will advance?
Zain
When healthy, Vondrousova is one of a select few players with both the talent and the game to compete for the biggest prizes in tennis. But unfortunately, her last six months on tour have been riddled with injuries. Baptiste, on the other hand, is herself struggling for form, having lost her last five matches on tour. In a match-up between health and form, Vondrousova’s overall pedigree is too much for me to deny her a victory here.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 2
Aryna Sabalenka and Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah will meet in the first round of the Australian Open 2026 on Sunday.
Based on updated simulations, Dimers' advanced tennis model predicts Aryna Sabalenka as the most likely winner of the Sabalenka vs. Rakotomanga Rajaonah match.
This article offers an expanded analysis of Sunday's match, including best bets and picks.
Using powerful machine learning and statistical analysis, we have simulated the result of Sunday's Sabalenka-Rakotomanga Rajaonah women's singles match 10,000 times as part of our tennis predictions coverage.
Our independent predictive model currently gives Sabalenka a 99% chance of defeating Rakotomanga Rajaonah in the Australian Open 2026.
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Explore the latest developments concerning Aryna Sabalenka defends.
Aryna Sabalenka defended her 'Battle of the Sexes' match against Nick Kyrgios after she opened her 2026 season with a 47-minute victory against Cristina Bucsa.
Women's world number one Sabalenka lost 6-3 6-3 to Kyrgios in a much-publicised exhibition match in Dubai last month.
Belarusian Sabalenka, a four-time major winner, said it helped her fitness after she swept aside Spain's Bucsa, ranked 28th in the world, 6-0 6-1 in the second round of the Brisbane International.
"When you play against a guy, the intensity is completely different," Sabalenka said.
"Especially when there is Nick, who is drop-shotting every other shot, you move a lot, so there was a great fitness for me."
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Last year's Australian Open women's final combatants are on a collision course for a Brisbane International quarter-final showdown after both had straight-set wins in the second round.
Defending Open champion Madison Keys prevailed 6-4 6-3 over fellow American McCartney Kessler, while world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka destroyed Spain's Cristina Bucsa 6-0 6-1 in 48 minutes.
Both have to get through third-round clashes but world No.7 Keys, who beat Sabalenka in three sets in last year's Australian Open final, is aware of the dangled carrot and the challenge ahead of her.
Venus Williams and Nick Kyrgios both beaten as Aryna Sabalenka drops just one game; Brits Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal both win; Watch the ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app
Venus Williams lost her first singles match of 2026 in Auckland but showed she is still competitive at 45 while Nick Kyrgios fell at first hurdle in Brisbane.
Williams was given a standing ovation after going down to fifth-seeded Magda Linette at the WTA Tour tournament in New Zealand.
The American put up a superb show before losing 6-4 4-6 6-2 to the No 52-ranked Linette, who was only two years old when Williams played her first professional singles match.
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