Aryna Sabalenka started her bid to reach a fourth straight Australian Open final with a strong straight-sets victory over Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah on Sunday.

The two-time winner in Melbourne was put to the test in the first set but rallied to a comfortable 6-4 6-1 win in 77 minutes.

Rakotomanga Rajaonah won the first three points of the match, but it took four break points to get the first game over the line.

However, Sabalenka was not on the backfoot for long, immediately levelling the score. She forced two more break points as the first set went on, but did not get another break until the final game.

The world number one's experience then shone in the second set as she raced into a 3-0 lead, but Rakotomanga Rajaonah held off two more break points to get on the board.

She could not stop Sabalenka's charge, though, and the Belarusian reached the second round on her second match point attempt.

Saba starting strong, @SabalenkaA pic.twitter.com/nYDRlIXP4c

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2026

Meanwhile, Jasmine Paolini cruised through thanks to a 6-1 6-2 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

With just three games dropped against Sasnovich, the Italian has now conceded her fewest games in an opening women's singles match at grand slam events.

And there was history for qualifier Zeynep Sonmez, who became the first Turkish woman in the Open Era to win a match at the Australian Open.

She upset 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5 4-6 6-4 in a marathon two-hour-and-37-minute match, coming from 3-0 down in the decider to clinch just the second top 20 win of her career.

Elsa Jacquemot also wrote her name in the history books, springing a major upset of her own as she knocked out Marta Kostyuk, the number 20 seed, in the first triple tie-break match at the Australian Open in the Open Era.

The Frenchwoman came from a set and 5-3 down, while also saving one match point, in her 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (10-7) win, which lasted three hours and 31 minutes.

Data Debrief: Home away from home

Sabalenka's dominance in Australia is in no way understated, but she ensured she made a strong start at the first major of the year once more.

No active player has won more matches than her (29) from their first 35 matches in women's singles at the Australian Open.

And since 2023, Sabalenka (39) is the player with the most wins on Australian soil at WTA level (excluding BJK Cup).