World number one Aryna Sabalenka overcame the unique pressure of having tennis legends Roger Federer and Rod Laver watching from the front row to secure a 6-4, 6-1 first-round win at the 2026 Australian Open.

Sabalenka, a two-time Melbourne champion, faced French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah on Rod Laver Arena, starting the match in uncharacteristic fashion but eventually asserting control to kick off her campaign strongly.

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Handling Legendary Spectators

Six-time men’s champion Federer and three-time Australian Open winner Laver were in attendance, prompting Sabalenka to admit she felt added pressure.

“I wanted to show great tennis so you guys enjoy watching me play. What a privilege – I really hope you enjoyed it just a little bit,” the Belarusian said after the match.

“It was a lot of pressure. I was walking around thinking ‘don’t look there, don’t look there’.”

She later posed for a selfie with the tennis icons, marking a memorable start to her 2026 tournament.

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Match Recap: Slow Start, Strong Finish

Despite her reputation for dominance in Melbourne, Sabalenka’s first set was messy. She was broken in the opening game and saw 16 winners canceled out by 13 unforced errors, with her opponent showing strong resistance.

After saving a break point at 4-4, Sabalenka then surged ahead, winning five consecutive games to close out the set and dominate the second 6-1.

“I didn’t start my best. She showed up on fire and she was playing great,” Sabalenka said. She is now bidding to reach a fourth consecutive Australian Open final.

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Australian Record and Form

Sabalenka’s record in Australia is formidable: she has lost just one of her last 22 matches at the tournament, a three-set defeat to Madison Keys in last year’s final. She has also captured five career titles on Australian soil, including a warm-up victory at the Brisbane International.

In the second round, she will face either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Bai Zhuoxuan, with Britain’s Emma Raducanu a possible third-round opponent.

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Other Women’s Singles Results

• Jasmine Paolini (Italy, 7th seed) cruised past Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-1, 6-2.
• Elina Svitolina also advanced comfortably, defeating Cristina Bucsa in straight sets.
• Upsets included Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia, 11th seed) losing to Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, and Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine, 20th seed) falling to Elsa Jacquemot in three sets.