Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her quest for her third Australian Open title in four years on Sunday, though not without facing some challenges. Similarly, Alexander Zverev had to find his footing to progress to the second round during a historic opening day in Melbourne. Fans eagerly awaited the debut of Carlos Alcaraz later in the day, while 45-year-old Venus Williams made headlines for being the oldest woman to compete in this Grand Slam tournament.
As the world No. 1 and the favorite, Sabalenka faced an early hurdle against French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah. After a shaky start marked by unforced errors, the Belarusian found her rhythm and secured a 6-4, 6-1 victory on Rod Laver Arena. Reflecting on her performance, Sabalenka shared, “It is always tricky playing someone young, someone you don’t know, and a lefty.” Despite Rajaonah’s spirited play, Sabalenka’s experience and powerful shot selection eventually led her to triumph. Looking ahead, she will compete against either Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or China’s Bai Zhuoxuan in the next round.
Zverev, the tournament’s third seed, faced a rocky beginning against Canadian Gabriel Diallo, dropping the first set before rallying back to claim a 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Reflecting on his turnaround, last year’s runner-up commented, “I was thinking it can’t get worse than that.” Zverev will next face either Australia’s Alexei Popyrin or France’s Alexandre Muller.
For other seeded players, the day unfolded with varying degrees of success. Seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini breezed past Aliaksandra Sasnovich with a decisive 6-1, 6-2 win, while Ukraine’s 12th seed Elina Svitolina advanced after defeating Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 6-1. Yet, the draw wasn’t without its surprises; British qualifier Arthur Fery scored an impressive upset against 20th seed Flavio Cobolli, winning 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-1. Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska and Marta Kostyuk also faced early exits, losing to Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Elsa Jacquemot, respectively.
The tournament witnessed a record daytime attendance of 73,235, though this surge resulted in complaints about long lines at the gates. The extreme conditions were highlighted when a ball girl fainted during a match, prompting quick assistance from the players involved as temperatures approached 30 degrees Celsius.
As the day concluded, all eyes shifted to Carlos Alcaraz, who was set to face world No. 79 Adam Walton. The 22-year-old Spaniard, an accomplished champion at the US Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open, is eager to capture the elusive Australian Open title, which would complete his Grand Slam collection. Should he succeed, Alcaraz would also become the youngest man to achieve a career Grand Slam, surpassing Rafael Nadal.
Additionally, Williams returned to Melbourne for the first time since 2021, competing after receiving a wildcard. Now ranked 576, she faced a tough opening match against Serbia’s Olga Danilovic, having been eliminated in the first round of her warm-up tournaments.
Day one of the Australian Open set the stage for high stakes, thrilling gameplay, and emerging narratives, promising an exciting tournament ahead.