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Reuters
28-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Sabalenka shrugs off slow start to reach French Open third round
PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) - World number one Aryna Sabalenka started off on the wrong foot before trampling Swiss Jil Teichmann into the French Open dirt with a 6-3 6-1 win that propelled her into the Roland Garros third round on Wednesday. Sabalenka began her bid for a maiden Paris crown by dropping only one game against Kamilla Rakhimova in the opening round but the 27-year-old from Belarus faced far more resistance against Teichmann, who grabbed an early break to pile on the pressure. The tricky left-hander troubled Sabalenka throughout the early part of the opening set but the top seed composed herself and pulled level at 3-3, before breaking her unseeded opponent again in the eighth game and then taking control of the match. "She started really well and played her best game. It's always tricky against her," said Sabalenka. "Her variety is crazy... I was trying to find the rhythm and I'm glad I held my serve from 3-1 down. I got more energy. It was a tough match, she made me work for every point and I'm very happy for this win." After going up a set, Sabalenka struck a stinging backhand winner to grab another break in the opening game of the second set and there was no doubt she would continue her imperious march through the French Open draw after she went 4-0 up. She delivered the final blow in the form of a break in the seventh game, finishing when Teichmann sent a shot long, to set up a meeting with another left-hander in Olga Danilovic who downed Danielle Collins 6-4 3-6 6-4.
CNA
28-05-2025
- General
- CNA
Sabalenka shrugs off slow start to reach French Open third round
PARIS :World number one Aryna Sabalenka started off on the wrong foot before trampling Swiss Jil Teichmann into the French Open dirt with a 6-3 6-1 win that propelled her into the Roland Garros third round on Wednesday. Sabalenka began her bid for a maiden Paris crown by dropping only one game against Kamilla Rakhimova in the opening round but the 27-year-old from Belarus faced far more resistance against Teichmann, who grabbed an early break to pile on the pressure. The tricky left-hander troubled Sabalenka throughout the early part of the opening set but the top seed composed herself and pulled level at 3-3, before breaking her unseeded opponent again in the eighth game and then taking control of the match. "She started really well and played her best game. It's always tricky against her," said Sabalenka. "Her variety is crazy... I was trying to find the rhythm and I'm glad I held my serve from 3-1 down. I got more energy. It was a tough match, she made me work for every point and I'm very happy for this win." After going up a set, Sabalenka struck a stinging backhand winner to grab another break in the opening game of the second set and there was no doubt she would continue her imperious march through the French Open draw after she went 4-0 up. She delivered the final blow in the form of a break in the seventh game, finishing when Teichmann sent a shot long, to set up a meeting with another left-hander in Olga Danilovic who downed Danielle Collins 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Independent Singapore
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Aryna Sabalenka starts strong in her Paris opener, losing only one game
FRANCE: World number one Aryna Sabalenka impressively made a strong start to her French Open campaign, losing just one game in a fierce win over Kamilla Rakhimova. Sabalenka showed how dedicated she was to winning as the match went on. The athlete only needed an hour to gain a 6-1, 6-0 victory, and she had won the last nine games in a row. In a social media post, Sabalenka shared: 'Round 1 ✅ @rolandgarros' Netizens commented on the post and said: 'Another grand Slam loading for you ❤️🙌', 'The best player in the world 👏,' 'What a way to start! 🙌,' and 'love you so much～Focused and determined～Definitely keep going😘' The Belarusian player looked confident and dominant from the beginning of the match. She used her big serve and powerful groundstrokes to take control of her opponent and gave her little to no chance of securing a win. It is known that the clay surface was not Sabalenka's strongest suit, but her performance proved that she has been adapting to the surface very well. Her ability to hit 30 winners and take over the match simply showed that she is not only relying on her strength alone but is also playing smart. See also Amanda Anisimova wins her first WTA 1000 title Sabalenka has never reached the finals of the French Open, but the opening results highlighted that she could possibly be a tough opponent to beat for this season's title. Collecting memories After Sabalenka's easy victory against Rakhimova, she pulled out a Polaroid camera to take photos of her bags and the court. This has been a fun tradition that the athlete started this season. For her, it is a way of capturing memories from each tournament, adding a personal touch to her journey on tour. In her on-court interview with former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, Sabalenka expressed: 'The idea was to take some good moments in my life—I started in December and I already have a pretty big album… When I feel sad, I go through the album and remember the good moments, they give me good vibes.' She added, 'The album is full of my team, which is annoying sometimes, but it is good fun.' What's next for Sabalenka? The World No. 1 could face Chinese eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals. The Chinese athlete defeated 2021 runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with a final scoreline of 6-4, 6-3 in her first match. If Sabalenka continues to progress in the tournament, she might face three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals. However, she needed to get past Swiss player Jil Teichmann in the second round. The athlete secured her spot by defeating the Italian qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini with scores of 6-4, 6-4.
Canada Standard
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Canada Standard
French Open top seed Sabalenka blasts her way into second round
RFI 26 May 2025, 00:07 GMT+10 Top seed Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the second round of the French Open on Sunday with a 6-1, 6-0 dismissal of the unseeded Russian Kamilla Rakhimova. The Belarusian sped into a 3-0 lead after 10 minuteson centre courtand claimed the service of the world number 86 for a second time to lead 5-1. Her third ace of the encounter sealed the game to wrap up the opener 6-1 after 24 minutes. It was one-way traffic in the second and all over after an hour. "The first match is always tricky especially against someone you like,"Sabalenkatold the on-court interviewer Marion Bartoli. "I'm very friendly with Kamilla so I'm super happy with the way I played." Thirteenth seed Elina Svitolina was almost as expeditious. The 30-year-old Ukrainian blitzed Zeynep Sonmez from Turkey 6-1, 6-1 in 72 minutes. Elsewhere in the women's draw, the Canadian qualifier Victoria Mboko won her first match in the main draw at a Grand Slam event with a 6-1, 7-6 victory over Lulu Sun from New Zealand "Before the match I didn't really feel that nervous," said the 18-year-old. Challenge "Lulu is a really great player and I knew I had to bring some great tennis out. Before playing the match I just took it as like it's another match. "Of course, it's a really big deal for me, but I tried to kind of trick my brain into thinking it wasn't such a big deal you're just playing another match, just another tournament. It helped me kind of calm down." Eighth seedQinwen Zhengsaw off the 2021 finalistAnastasia Pavlyuchenkova6-4, 6-3. "She plays aggressively so it wasn't an easy match. I'm just happy to get through because I always think the first match at a Grand Slam event is tricky." Originally published on RFI
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
French Open 2025: Aryna Sabalenka wins quickly in straight sets; Ben Shelton survives marathon
Aryna Sabalenka looked every bit like the world's No. 1 player as she began the 2025 French Open with a dominant win over Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. Sabalenka finished off Rakhimova in one hour, putting her recent defeat to Qinwen Zheng at the Italian Open in the distance. She served up five aces and broke serve five times during the match. With the win, Sabalenka became the first top seed to lose just one game in her opening match of the tournament since Serena Williams did so in 2013 versus Anna Tatishvili. Williams went on to win the French Open that year, and Sabalenka would love to follow that path. Sabalenka has never made it to the finals at Roland-Garros, getting as far as the semifinals in 2023, when she lost in three sets to Karolina Muchová. Sabalenka joked after her match that she would ask for advice from 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who was being honored at Roland-Garros following his retirement. 'He is such an inspiration to young players," Sabalenka said, via The Tennis Gazette. "I will try and stick around to watch the ceremony, and ask him, please do you have advice on how to win this tournament?' Up next for Sabalenka is Jil Teichmann on Wednesday. The United States' brightest young tennis star needed a little more time than expected Sunday, but is on to the second round. Roland Garros' No. 12 seed defeated Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the night session. Time of match: three hours and 31 minutes. The 22-year-old Shelton reached the third round at the French Open last year and is coming off his second career Grand Slam semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open. He also had his girlfriend, Washington Spirit and USWNT star Trinity Rodman, in the stands supporting him while she recovers from a back injury. NWSL and USWNT forward Trinity Rodman was in the audience to support boyfriend Ben Shelton during his Round 1 win at Roland Garros 🫶 — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 25, 2025 Tommy Paul made news recently off the court by having his truck repossessed in Florida while he played in the Rome Open. Paul lost to Jannik Sinner in that tournament, but earned enough prize money to get his truck back. Presumably, he'll have no such concerns preoccupying him in Paris. The No. 12 seed defeated Elmer Moller in four sets, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. After the losing the first set, a rain delay allowed Paul an opportunity to reset. Paul will face Márton Fucsovics in the second round. Fucsovics beat Tristan Schoolkate in straight sets in his first-round match. Following a first-round defeat at the Rome Open, No. 15 seed Frances Tiafoe rebounded with a win over Roman Safiullin, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Tiafoe seemed to have difficulty maintaining focus during the second set and Safiulli nearly made him pay for it. The American has struggled so far this year, losing five of nine matches heading into Paris. Roland-Garros has been rough on Tiafoe, where he's won only four career matches. Tiafoe moves on to play Pablo Carreño Busta in the second round on Wednesday. He lost in the first round in his first six French Opens, but has now gotten to the second round in four consecutive years. Tiafoe has only advanced to the third round at Roland-Garros once, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in 2023.
