Sabalenka launches Australian Open defence with speedy win

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka had to wait until close to midnight to kick off her title defence but the ruthless world number two made quick work of teary German qualifier Ella Seidel with a 6-0 6-1 victory on the Grand Slam's opening Sunday.

With fans on Rod Laver Arena still catching their breath after defending men's champion Novak Djokovic got past teenager Dino Prizmic in a four-hour marathon, Sabalenka shrugged off the 11:41 pm start to overwhelm her 18-year-old German opponent.

The powerful second seed from Belarus wasted little time in asserting herself as she raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set which she wrapped up in 22 only minutes with a couple of cool backhand volleys at the net.

Sabalenka, who briefly took the top ranking last year on the back of semi-final runs at the French Open and Wimbledon before a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open, continued to dominate and surged ahead 3-0 in the next as Seidel held back tears.

Grand Slam main draw debutant Seidel received huge cheers from the sympathetic crowd as she finally got on the scoreboard at 5-1 but there was no stopping Sabalenka who sent out a warning to her rivals with a dominant display.

Sabalenka storms through!@SabalenkaA wraps up a straight sets win 6-0 6-1 to bring down the curtain on Day 1 on Rod Laver Arena.#AusOpen📷 • @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/AHNgMa0p0D

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 14, 2024