Australian Open: Alexander Zverev creates drama on the opening day, Aryna Sabalenka falters | tennis news

Aryna Sabalenka began her pursuit of a third Australian Open crown in four years on Sunday, but not without an early stumble.

On a record-breaking opening day in Melbourne, Alexander Zverev also had to maintain his composure to advance to the second round.

As day one unfolded, attention then shifted to Carlos Alcaraz, who was set to kick off her campaign.

while 45-year-old Venus Williams is set to make history as the oldest woman to compete in a Grand Slam. Sabalenka,

The world number one and tournament favourite was pushed early before asserting her dominance against French wildcard Tiansoa Rakotomanga Rajaona.

Still smarting from her loss to Madison Keys in the 2025 final, the Belarusian needed time to find her rhythm, committing a number of unforced errors before closing out a 6-4, 6-1 win at Rod Laver Arena.

“It’s always difficult to play someone pathetic, someone you don’t know and a lefty,” Sabalenka said after the match. The 20-year-old Rajaonah played with freedom and energy.

But Sabalenka’s strength, experience and shot selection proved decisive in the end. Roger Federer and Rod Laver sitting courtside admitting the top seeds added another layer of pressure to the occasion.

I hope you enjoyed watching my game; I hope you enjoyed it a little bit,” Sabalenka said during her on-court interview, addressing the two legends.

Her next opponent will be Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan. Co-title contenders Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are scheduled to begin their campaign on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Alexander Zverev survived a scare in turbulent conditions. The third seed dropped the opening set to 41st-ranked Gabriel Diallo of Canada and briefly fell short before regrouping to win 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

Asked how she managed to turn things around, last year’s runner-up was blunt. “I thought it couldn’t get any worse,” Zverev said.

Germany will next face Australia’s Alexey Poperin or France’s Alexandre Muller. Women’s seeds had smooth passage for some.

Seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini defeated Aleksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2, while 12th-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine beat Christina Buksa of Spain 6-4, 6-1.

However, the draw was not an upset. British qualifier Arthur Ferry beat Italy’s 20th seed Flavio Cobolli 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-1.

Dayana Yastremska, the 26th seed from Ukraine, also crashed out after losing 6-4, 7-5 to Romania’s Elena-Gabrila Rus. Another Ukrainian, Marta Kostyuk, went down at the first hurdle, losing in three sets to France’s Elsa Jacquemot.

The attendance was the highest in the history of the Australian Open.

Tournament organisers confirmed a day attendance of 73,235, the highest in Australian Open history, although the surge led to complaints of long queues at the gate.

The severity of the conditions was highlighted when a ball girl fainted during a match between Jenep Sonmaj and Ekaterina Alexandrov, prompting both players to rush to her aid as temperatures neared 30 degrees Celsius.

Later on Sunday, all eyes will be on Carlos Alcaraz. The 22-year-old Spaniard will face world number 79 Adam Walton in the final match of the day at the Rod Laver Arena.

Alcaraz has already won titles at the US Open, Wimbledon and the French Open, leaving the Australian Open as the only missing piece in her Grand Slam collection.

His best result to date in Melbourne is a quarter-final appearance, and he has made no secret of his ambitions to dethrone reigning champion Jannik Sinner in 2026.

If successful, Alcaraz would overtake Rafael Nadal to complete the youngest career Grand Slam.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams returns to Melbourne for the first time since 2021 after receiving a wildcard.

Now ranked 576, the former world No. 1 faces a tough opening test against 69th-ranked Olga Danilovic of Serbia.

Williams was knocked out in the first round of both of her prep tournaments and has rarely competed in recent seasons.

Day one delivers heat, history and early surprises, promising yet another exciting Australian Open.