Sabalenka sets stage, early exit for Sun

Otago Daily Times

26-05-2025

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka has sounded an early warning siren to her French Open rivals, dismantling Kamilla Rakhimova, while Kiwi Lulu Sun lost in the first round.
China's Zheng Qinwen followed Sabalenka into the second round, returning to the venue of her Olympic gold last year and thumping 202 runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before Lorenzo Musetti eased past Yannick Hanfmann in the afternoon sun.
With the day session on Court Philippe Chatrier wrapped up, Roland Garros hummed with anticipation as fans who braved spells of morning rain gathered for the showpiece to celebrate Spanish great Nadal at the site of his 14 French Open triumphs.
A classy tribute unfolded as the 22-times major winner received a permanent plaque with his footprint on the same clay that witnessed his greatness for two decades.
The writing was on the wall for a dejected Rakhimova when the 27-year-old Sabalenka broke for a 3-0 lead in the second set after scampering for a ball which clipped the net cord and getting a forehand winner.
The Belarusian top seed, who is bidding for her maiden French Open title, was delighted with the clinical performance that extended her winning streak in the opening round of Grand Slams to 18 before she paid homage to Nadal on his big day.
"He was an inspiration for me, the hard work he put in is incredible. He's a nice guy and he worked super hard to achieve everything he did," Sabalenka said.
Three-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka ensured everything was on schedule for the ceremony as she cranked up her big serve and forehand in front of a sparse crowd under the roof of the main showcourt to blow away her opponent 6-1 6-0 in an hour.
Zheng crushed Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-3 later to extend her winning run on Parisian clay to seven matches while Ukraine's Elina Svitolina dropped only two games in a 6-1 6-1 win over Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who secured her first win since her maternity break at the Italian Open this month, was an early casualty after her 3-6 6-0 6-4 defeat by Swiss Viktorija Golubic.
Germany's Eva Lys produced an upset, beating American 28th seed Peyton Stearns 6-0 6-3, while Canadian qualifier Victoria Mboko marked her Grand Slam main-draw debut with a 6-1 7-6(4) victory over New Zealand's Lulu Sun.
Last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini had to dig deep to battle past China's Yuan Yue before earning a nerve-wracking 6-1 4-6 6-3 victory.
Hamad Medjedovic became the first player into the men's second round with a 6-3 6-3 7-6(2) win over Kamil Majchrzak and he was joined by local hope Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who hit 12 aces to beat Belgium's Zizou Bergs 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) 6-4.
Musetti had little trouble seeing off qualifier Hanfmann 7-5 6-2 6-0 but American 12th seed Tommy Paul had to overcome a slow start and rain interruptions to beat lucky loser Elmer Moller 6-7(5) 6-2 6-3 6-1.
"It was a weird match from the jump with the wind and the rain on and off, it being a little colder," Rome semi-finalist Paul said.
"He came out playing well, ready to go. I started a little slow, also a little nervous. After that first set, I felt like I was able to loosen up and really start playing my game better."
Frances Tiafoe made a strong start in his own quest to end the two-decade Grand Slam drought of American men by moving past Roman Safiullin 6-4 7-5 6-4.