French Open 2024: Aryna Sabalenka starts her Roland Garros journey with a strong win | Tennis News

Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her French Open campaign in style with a dominant 6-1 6-2 victory over Russian teenager Erika Andreeva. The 26-year-old, who recently defended her Australian Open title, showed her top form on Court Philippe Chatrier, sending a clear warning to her competitors.

Sabalenka wasted no time in taking control of the match, breaking Andreeva’s serve early on and quickly building a 5-1 lead in the first set. With her powerful forehand and aggressive play, she closed out the set with ease.

In the second set, Sabalenka continued to apply pressure on her opponent, breaking Andreeva’s serve once again to take the lead. Despite a brief stumble when she lost her own serve, Sabalenka regained her composure and surged ahead to a 4-2 lead before ultimately sealing the victory in just 68 minutes.

Meanwhile, World No 4 Elena Rybakina also secured her spot in the second round with a hard-fought win against Belgium’s Greet Minnen. Despite a shaky start, Rybakina managed to turn the match around and claim a 6-2 6-3 victory.

On a more emotional note, the French Open bid farewell to Alize Cornet, who announced her retirement after this year’s tournament. The 34-year-old former world No 11 faced a tough first-round match against seventh seed Qinwen Zheng of China, ending her 20-year career at Roland Garros with a 6-2 6-1 loss.

As the tournament progresses, tennis fans can look forward to more thrilling matches from top players on Sky Sports, with the grass-court season leading up to Wimbledon in full swing. Stay tuned for all the action live on Sky Sports Tennis.