French Open: Sabalenka starts with an easy win; Oly champ Zheng Qinwen advances

By  Firstdespatch Desk   May 26, 2025

No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka opened her French Open campaign with a smooth 6-1, 6-0 win over Kamilla Rakhimova on Court Philippe-Chatrier yesterday. The reigning US Open champion just had two break points in the match, both in the fourth game of the second set, and saved both with clean winners. She converted five out of 11 opportunities on the Rakhimova serve. She will next face Jil Teichmann, who defeated qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini 6-4, 6-4. Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China also made a winning start, defeating former Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in an early match in the women’s singles first round.