Sabalenka Stumbles Early, Then Accelerates

MELBOURNE, SUNDAY — Just like Usain Bolt, who struggled at the start but finished the sprint in a flash, Aryna Sabalenka experienced a similar situation during the first round of the Australian Open tennis tournament. Despite facing difficulties at the beginning, Sabalenka demonstrated that she would be a formidable competitor for anyone.

The moment occurred at Rod Laver Arena, the main court of the Melbourne Park sports complex in Australia, on the first day of the tournament, Sunday (January 18, 2026). Sabalenka faced French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah.

Despite arriving at Melbourne Park as the top seed with two titles from three Australian Open finals, Sabalenka stunned her fans by dropping the first set. She quickly fell behind by three points (0-40) while serving, two from unforced errors and one from Rajaonah's winner.

Sabalenka managed to level the score at 40-40, but failed to capitalize on her chance to win the opening game. Instead of creating an ace with her signature powerful serve, the world number one women's singles player committed a double fault. This was followed by another unforced error on her forehand, which also resulted in her losing the first game.

The four-time Grand Slam champion immediately responded by breaking Rajaonah's serve in the next game, but she couldn't easily take the lead. Rajaonah, a 20-year-old, held her serve three times throughout the match. It wasn't until the tenth game that Sabalenka broke her world number 118 opponent's serve, only to reach deuce twice.

After a slow start, Sabalenka accelerated her scoring pace in the second set. She repeatedly employed a serve-and-volley tactic, a powerful serve followed immediately by a volley in the front court. This strategy gave Sabalenka an immediate 3-0 lead, dropping only one serve, in the fourth game. She won the second set in approximately 30 minutes, 15 minutes faster than the opening set.

The way he played in the first half was reminiscent of Bolt, the Jamaican athletics legend in the short-distance events. The owner of eight Olympic gold medals and 11 world championship titles had a rather poor start, but often crossed the finish line with an unmatched speed compared to his competitors.

By the way she concluded the match, Sabalenka demonstrated a signal that she could perform even better when she finds a way to relieve pressure. In the second round, she will face the qualifying player from Taiwan, Baik Zhuoxuan, who defeated Anastasia Pavluchenkova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10).

"The first round of a Grand Slam is always challenging, especially when facing a young player I have never encountered before who plays left-handed. I am very happy that I was ultimately able to play better, particularly with my serve and volley," said Sabalenka.

The 27-year-old tennis player has indeed been honing his serve and volley skills during pre-season training. However, applying that approach in matches is not an easy task. "Being able to implement it in a match without fear is a different matter. Therefore, when I can do it, I feel proud," he said.

Witnessed by two legends sitting side by side in the VIP stands, Rod Laver and Roger Federer, Sabalenka recounted that she was trying to focus on her game. She did not want to be overly enthusiastic while also feeling pressured because her performance was being watched by two great names with a total of 31 Grand Slam titles (Laver with 11 titles and Federer with 20 titles).

"I am a huge fan of you all and of course want to show my best performance. However, there is also a lot of pressure felt, so I have to remind myself, 'Don't look at them, don't look at them,'" she said during an interview with former tennis player Jelena Dokic on the court.

Not only Sabalenka, the Grand Slam champion who competed on the opening day and won. Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, defeated Thai player Mananchaya Sawangkaew with a score of 6-4, 6-1.

The opening day of the 114th edition of the tournament was also marked by the performance of the world number one men's singles player, Carlos Alcaraz. Although he won in three sets, Alcaraz faced a good challenge from the local player, Adam Walton. The Spanish tennis player won with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-2.

"I am very happy to be back here, and there is nothing better than playing my first match at Rod Laver Arena. The match was very challenging because Adam has a good shot and plays well at a tournament level like this," said Alcaraz.

The 22-year-old tennis player has six Grand Slam titles and became the youngest player to reach the top world ranking at the age of 19. However, he is still in the process of seeking to conquer opponents in all rounds at Melbourne Park.

Since its debut in 2021, but absent in 2023, its furthest journey has been the quarter-finals reached in 2024 and 2025. Its winning percentage at the Australian Open, 73 percent, is lower compared to other Grand Slams, namely the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, where Alcaraz was able to win 89 percent of his matches. In each of those Grand Slams, Alcaraz has two championship titles.

The challenge has increased as the Australian Open becomes the first tournament where Alcaraz is no longer coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero, who had been with him for seven years. Their collaboration ended in December 2025 for reasons made public. He is now accompanied by Samuel Lopez, who has been part of his coaching team since 2024.

The victory was also achieved by the finalist of the 2025 Australian Open, Alexander Zverev. However, the third seed lost the first set when facing Gabriel Diallo. Zverev won 6-7 (1), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to face Alexei Popyrin or Alexandre Muller in the second round.

The world number one singles player and also the champion of the last two editions of the Australian Open, Jannik Sinner, will begin his competition on Tuesday. Star players who will appear on the second day include Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, and Cori Gauff. (AP/AFP)