Aryna Sabalenka defeats Sloane Stephens on Australian Open day one – follow live

Aryna Sabalenka’s winning run continues in Melbourne! Bidding for a third Australian Open title in a row, Sabalenka secures her 15th consecutive win at the tournament with a straight-sets victory over Sloane Stephens.

Sabalenka raced out of the blocks and although Stephens, a former US Open champion, had some moments, the Belarusian was too strong as the World No 1 secured a 6-2 6-3 win in just over an hour.

Sterner tests to come, but a good start for the defending champion.

There was just one British player in action today but Sonay Kartal has gone down to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to taste defeat in the opening round.

After a one-sided opening set, Kartal battled back in the second but was edged out in a tiebreak as Bouzas Maneiro won 6-1 7-6 (7-5).

Bouzas Maneiro will now play the winner of the match currently on Rod Laver Arena, with Sabalenka breaking Stephens early to lead 3-1 in the second set.

Just as quickly as Stephens battled back, Sabalenka closes the door and takes the opening set 6-3 under the sunlight on Rod Laver Arena.

A wobble of concentration from Sabalenka, perhaps, but she gets the job done behind serve to take the first set in 38 minutes.

Well then. All of a sudden, Sabalenka gets a little ragged and Stephens finds some class and inspiration. The American breaks Sabalenka, holds her serve, and then breaks the defending champion again with some newfound confidence. Sabalenka’s lead has been cut to 4-3 in the opening set.

Where has this come from? Game on.

A ruthless start from Sabalenka, who dictates the points right from the start to cruise into a 4-0 lead in the first set. Stephens is unable to disrupt the rhythm of the defending champion, who has picked up where she left off last year.

Here we go. Aryna Sabalenka opens her bid of three Australian Open titles in a row against former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.

Overall, Sabalenka stands with a 27-1 combined record at the last four hard-court grand slams. Last year, she won a second Australian Open title without dropping a set and overcoming Jessica Pegula to win the US Open despite a near-wobble will only imbue the new World No 1 with more confidence as she looks to maintain her dominant form.

As she begins her bid for a three-peat, a feat not achieved at the Australian Open since Martina Hingis won three in a row between 1997 and 1999, it is the American Gauff who perhaps stands as her closest rival for the title. Here, opponent Stephens has not won match since last year’s Wimbledon.

Casper Ruud survived a scare to advance to the fifth round, after the Norwegian was taken to five sets by Spain’s Jaume Munar.

Ruud, the sixth seed, proved too strong in the deciding set to claim a 6-3 1-6 7-5 2-6 6-1 victory in three hours and 21 minutes.

Kei Nishikori fought his way to a brilliant win over Thiago Monteiro 4-6 6-7(4) 7-5 6-2 6-3, as the 35-year-old saved two match points in a thriller.

Nishikori, a four-time quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, has made an extraordinary comeback to tennis after struggles with injury.

Elsewhere, Arthur Fils came from a set down to beat Otto Virtanen 3-6 7-6(4) 6-4 6-4. The 20-year-old Frenchman, seeded 20th in the men’s draw, is up and running.

Olympic champion and last year’s runner-up Qinwen Zheng got her Australian Open campaign off to a winning start as champion defeated Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni 7-6(3) 6-1.

17-year-old 14th seed Mirra Andreeva became the first player to move into the second round after the teenager beat Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-3 6-3.

And elsewhere in the women’s draw, Croatian 18th seed Donna Vekic, runner-up at the Paris Olympics, defeated France’s Diane Parry 6-4 6-4.

Play was suspended for up to six hours on the opening day of the Australian Open due to torrential rain at Melbourne Park.

Play continued under closed roofs on the four showcourts and a fixture backlog is less likely after an extra day was added to the tournament last year.

There have been just six matches completed so far.

Iga Swiatek remains the undisputed queen of clay after winning her third French Open title in a row in 2024. However, the five-time major champion lost her position at World No 1 to Aryna Sabalenka and under-performed at the other grand slams, particularly on the hard courts at the Australian Open and US Open.

Since then, Swiatek’s turbulent off-season was dominated by her one-month suspension for a doping violation, but it also brought a change of coach. The Australian Open will see her work with Wim Fissette, a former coach of Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters, and the first test will be improving her record at Melbourne Park – where the Polish star has lost in the fourth and third round in the last two years.

The good news for Swiatek, though, is that the draw has been fairly kind and Coco Gauff has landed on the same side as Sabalenka, as well as Qinwen Zheng and Jessica Pegula. There was a time not too long ago where the 23-year-old Swiatek was the favourite for every tournament she entered. The dynamic is different now, which may suit her, but Swiatek is likely to face a battle with herself as much as those who stand in front of her.