World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the second round of the 2026 Australian Open with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over French qualifier Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah. During the match, Sabalenka accidentally hit her opponent in the face with a ball, creating an awkward moment. Post-match, she celebrated with a selfie alongside tennis legends Roger Federer and Rod Laver.
Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending Australian Open champion from 2023 and 2024, began her 2026 campaign on January 18 in Melbourne with a straight-sets win over Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, the world No. 118 qualifier from France. The match on Rod Laver Arena saw Sabalenka drop the opening game after being broken but regain control to claim the first set 6-4. In the second set, an incident occurred when Sabalenka's return struck Rajaonah near the net, though the French player continued unfazed.
Sabalenka's power proved decisive, as she fired 23 winners and averaged 167 km/h on her serve compared to Rajaonah's 149 km/h. She won 42% of points on Rajaonah's first serve and 64% on the second, forcing numerous errors. The Belarusian, undefeated at 6-0 this season after winning the Brisbane International, improved her Australian Open record to 29-6.
Reflecting on her performance, Sabalenka admitted to a slow start. "I think I didn’t really start at my best and was struggling to find my rhythm," she said. "But then I feel like in the last two games of the first set I found my rhythm, and I was able to step in and play a little bit better tennis."
She also highlighted her serve-and-volley efforts: "I was definitely working on serve and volley. I’m super happy to be able to do it on the match. On the practice is one thing, but to be able to be kind of fearless and go there at the match is something else. I’m really proud I’m able to show this tennis."
Adding to the occasion, Federer and Laver watched from the front row. Sabalenka, a self-professed fan, took a courtside selfie with them afterward. "Of course I did [notice them]. I'm a huge fan. The whole match I was just telling myself, do not look there, please, do not look. But yeah, it's incredible," she remarked.
Sabalenka, who lost last year's final to Madison Keys, now faces the winner of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova versus Zhuoxuan Bai in the second round.
