Australian Open 2025: Sabalenka and Zverev in action on day one – live
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Kartal has been broken at the start of set two, now trailing Bouzas Maneiro 1-6 0-3, while Lehecka is up 4-1 on Tu. Oh, and as I type, Sabalenka rushes through her consolidation for 3-0. If ever you wonder what equilibrium looks like – and, let’s face it, we’re all of us searching – this is it.
![[Sloane Stephens waves as she walks onto Rod Laver Arena.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/81f93b45fee1c5dc1bc095423b6d03f94e901b42/0_0_6386_4258/master/6386.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Stephens, a Grand Slam champ – she won the US Open in 2017 – and a beautiful mover, hasn’t won a match since Wimbledon and is barely in the top 100 these days. Sabalenka will know that a fast start will make her hard to catch and she quickly earns a love-hold then a break to 30. Gliding about isn’t that useful when the ball’s coming back at the speed of light. Sabalenka 2-0 Stephens.
On Court, Lehecka and Li Tu are away, tied at 1-1 in the first; on Laver, Sabalenka is ready to serve and … play. On Court 5, Bouzas Maneiro has taken the first set off GB’s Kartal 6-1 and played very nicely in so doing. It’s not easy to work out a way Sabalenka doesn’t win this title for a third year in a row. She’s in her absolute prime – not just as a player but as a person, so settled in her life and so confident on court that it’s moving to behold. Life comes so naturally to her these days, she can make light of the sluggish balls with her frankly unprecedented power, and no one looks good enough to stop her. We shall see!.
