French Open: Sabalenka, Svitolina, Zheng cruise into second round

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka began her French Open campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova on Sunday. The Belarusian needed just an hour to book her place in the second round at Roland Garros.

Sabalenka, who is aiming for her first title in Paris, struck 30 winners and broke her opponent five times. With defending champion Iga Swiatek struggling for form, Sabalenka has emerged as one of the favourites for the title.

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However, the 27-year-old admitted she was “confused” by the different line-calling systems being used in tennis.

“Honestly, I’m so confused. I don’t know which I prefer anymore,” said Sabalenka, referring to her recent experiences with both traditional line judges and electronic calls. Roland Garros remains the only Grand Slam to still use line judges.



She will face either Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann or Italian qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini in the next round.

In other women’s singles matches, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina breezed past Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez 6-1, 6-1 in just over an hour. The 13th seed, a four-time quarter-finalist in Paris, was in complete control from start to finish.

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China’s Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen also moved into the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over former finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The eighth seed will face either Alexandra Eala of the Philippines or Colombia’s Emiliana Arango next.

Meanwhile, Roland Garros is preparing for an emotional tribute to Rafael Nadal, who will be honoured in a special ceremony on Sunday. The 14-time French Open champion retired last year after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.



Nadal, who holds a record 112-4 win-loss record at the tournament, will return to Court Philippe Chatrier one year after his final match in Paris. Former rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are expected to attend the ceremony.

Nadal’s 14 titles at a single Grand Slam remain unmatched in tennis history.



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