Sabalenka eases into Australian Open third round
Melbourne, Jan 21
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka eased into the third round of the Australian Open after beating Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan 6-3, 6-1 in 32 minutes on Wednesday.
It was a first meeting between Sabalenka and former World No. 83 Bai, who went through the wringer last year with injuries and arrived in Melbourne ranked world No. 702.
Wednesday's win marked Sabalenka's 25th singles match win as World No. 1 and made her the sixth player since 2000 to achieve the feat, following Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Ash Barty and Iga Swiatek.
The two-time champion Sabalenka recorded a seventh consecutive win to start 2026 with ease. She is now through to the third round of the Australian Open for the sixth year in a row. In addition to her 7-0 record to start 2026, she is also 7-0 in second-round matches in Melbourne.
On the back foot early, Bai was unable to generate enough pace to make inroads and was down 0-5 within 15 minutes.
A pair of aces helped her get on the board, and the World No.1's vice-like grip on the opening set slipped slightly when she was broken while serving for the set.
Having fended off 25 of 38 break points in qualifying and the opening round, Bai survived three more in a near-10-minute game before Sabalenka stopped the rot, according to Australian Open reports.
The top seed wasn't without her troubles, despite jumping to 4-0 again in the second, but her persistence in her game plan kept her on the straight and narrow as she closed it out in 74 minutes, setting up a third-round meeting against 28th seed Emma Raducanu or Anastasia Potapova.
Meanwhile, Elina Svitolina continued her hot start to the 2026 season with a second-round 7-5, 6-1 win over Linda Klimovicova.
She'll face another new opponent, Diana Shnaider, in the third round, and it is the first guaranteed seeded match of the tournament.
Shnaider saved two match points against Australian wildcard Talia Gibson in a comeback win, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Respect to Bai Zhuoxuan for fighting back from injury and qualifying. The ranking from 83 to 702 shows how tough the sport is. Sabalenka was just on another level today.
That's some elite company she's joined with 25 wins as World No. 1. Serena, Henin, Barty... legends. Her consistency at the Australian Open is remarkable. On to the next one!
While her power is undeniable, I do wish the matches were more competitive for the sake of the spectacle. A 6-3, 6-1 scoreline in a Grand Slam second round feels a bit one-sided. Hoping Raducanu or Potapova can give her a real test.
Watching from Mumbai! Her game plan is so solid. Even when she had a slight slip, she didn't panic. That's the champion's mentality. Also, good to see Svitolina doing well too.
The article mentions she's 7-0 in second-round matches in Melbourne. That's some crazy specific stat! 😄 She really owns that round. Excited to see how far she goes this year.
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