Sabalenka starts bid for third straight Australian Open title with win over Stephens
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As Aryna Sabalenka strode down the tunnel inside Rod Laver Arena that leads players straight to the court, the cameras momentarily captured a perfect shot. The pathway to Melbourne Park’s premier court is filled with large, rectangular plaques emblazoned with the names of former champions and the dates of their triumphs.
![[Sloane Stephens was unable to deal with Aryna Sabalenka’s groundstrokes.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7351247b731ea805ee5de0e19ed68d2c08525b76/0_81_4066_2441/master/4066.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
For a second, Sabalenka stood perfectly next to the sign that memorialised her 2023 and 2024 Australian Open victories. Already focused on new records and objectives, however, she kept on moving. Over the next fortnight, Sabalenka will attempt to become the first woman in 26 years since Martina Hingis to win three consecutive Australian Open singles titles. She opened up her title defence in Melbourne with an imperious performance, dismantling the former US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.
After a dominant start, Sabalenka was pulled back from 4-0 to 4-3 by Stephens in the opening set. Just as the match could have turned into an extremely tight battle, Sabalenka reasserted her dominance and held on to close out an excellent win. “I think it’s a big difference, comparing myself to even like three years ago,” she said. “In that moment I would get frustrated and probably would lose the first set. I’m not sure if I would be able to win the match. That’s what I remember. I’m really glad that I improved my mental toughness, let’s say. I’m able to stay focused no matter what the score, what the situation is.”.
