Aggressive Sabalenka storms on as rain mars Australian Open
Aryna Sabalenka powered past Sloane Stephens to begin her quest for a third consecutive Australian Open crown Sunday with Zheng Qinwen and Casper Ruud also winning as storms caused havoc on day one of the Grand Slam.Norway's Ruud said ahead of the event that playing better at Grand Slams was on his agenda this year after an underwhelming 2024 at the majors.
Read more: Aggressive Sabalenka storms on as rain mars Australian Open
Aryna Sabalenka beats Sloane Stephens to begin her bid for a third Australian Open title
Aryna Sabalenka began her bid to become the first woman in a quarter-century to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, eliminating 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday night in just 71 minutes. Sabalenka is seeded No. 1 at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time and while she was not perfect in this first-round match — “Not like I played my best, probably,” she said — it was plenty good. As big a server as there is in women's tennis, Sabalenka did not hit her first ace until the match's 15th game and finished with only two.
Read more: Aryna Sabalenka beats Sloane Stephens to begin her bid for a third Australian Open title
