Aryna Sabalenka eased into the French Open second round at a rainswept Roland Garros on Tuesday as defending champion Novak Djokovic shrugged off doubts about the state of his game with a confident 6-4 7-6(3) 6-4 defeat of Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the French Open first round on Tuesday.
Aryna Sabalenka eased into the French Open second round at a rainswept Roland Garros on Tuesday as defending champion Novak Djokovic took his first-round record to 20 wins out of 20 as he eased past French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Tuesday.Australian Open champion Sabalenka, a semifinalist in Paris in 2023, over-powered Russian teenager Erika Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 in just 68 minutes under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The Belarusian has made at least the last four at her past six Grand Slams and is expected to be Iga Swiatek's toughest rival in the Pole's bid for a fourth French Open title. The 37-year-old, who saw career-long rival and 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal exit the tournament on Monday, arrived in Paris under a cloud.He has also endured recent misfortunes being accidentally hit on the head by a metal water bottle in Rome and then suffering stomach problems in Geneva.He will face Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena for a place in the last 32.
Ruud was beaten in straight sets by Djokovic in last year's final following a one-sided loss to Rafael Nadal in the 2022 showpiece. He also lost the 2022 US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz.
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