Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka stumbles, Alexander Zverev wobbles as day one delivers drama

Aryna Sabalenka began her pursuit of a third Australian Open crown in four years on Sunday, but not without early stumbles, as Alexander Zverev also had to steady himself to reach the second round on a record-breaking opening day in Melbourne. As day one unfolded, attention later turned to Carlos Alcaraz, who was set to launch his campaign, while 45-year-old Venus Williams prepared to make history as the oldest woman ever to compete at the Grand Slam. Sabalenka, the world No. 1 and tournament favourite, was pushed early before asserting her authority against French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah. Still smarting from her defeat 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 on Rod Laver Arena. “It is always tricky playing someone young, 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 power, experience and shot selection eventually proved decisive. The top seed admitted the occasion added another layer of pressure, with Roger Federer and Rod Laver seated courtside. “I hope you guys enjoyed watching me play, I hope you enjoyed it even a little bit,” Sabalenka said during her on-court interview, addressing the two legends.

Her next opponent will be either Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan. Fellow title contenders Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are scheduled to begin their campaigns on Monday. Earlier in the day, Alexander Zverev survived a scare in sweltering conditions. The third seed dropped the opening set to Canada’s Gabriel Diallo, ranked 41st, and briefly looked vulnerable before regrouping to win 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Asked how he managed to turn things around, last year’s runner-up was blunt. “I was thinking it can't get worse than that,” Zverev said. The German will next face either Australia’s Alexei Popyrin or France’s Alexandre Muller. There were smoother passages for some of the women’s seeds. Seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini cruised past Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2, while Ukraine’s 12th seed Elina Svitolina advanced with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Spain’s Cristina Bucsa. However, the draw was not without upsets. British qualifier Arthur Fery stunned 20th seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy, winning 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-1. Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, seeded 26th, was also eliminated after a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Another Ukrainian seed, Marta Kostyuk, exited at the first hurdle, beaten in three sets by France’s Elsa Jacquemot. Tournament organisers confirmed a daytime attendance of 73,235, the highest in Australian Open history, though the surge led to complaints over long queues at the gates. The intensity of the conditions was highlighted when a ball girl fainted during the match between Zeynep Sonmez and Ekaterina Alexandrova, prompting both players to rush to her assistance as temperatures hovered near 30 degrees Celsius. Later on Sunday, all eyes turned to Carlos Alcaraz. The 22-year-old Spaniard was set to face world No. 79 Adam Walton in the final match of the day on Rod Laver Arena. Alcaraz has already lifted titles at the US Open, Wimbledon and the French Open, leaving the Australian Open as the lone missing piece in his Grand Slam collection.

His best result in Melbourne so far is a quarter-final appearance, and he has made no secret of his ambition to unseat reigning champion Jannik Sinner in 2026. If successful, Alcaraz would overtake Rafael Nadal to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. Meanwhile, Venus Williams returned to Melbourne for the first time since 2021 after receiving a wildcard. Now ranked 576, the former world No. 1 faces a difficult opening test against Serbia’s 69th-ranked Olga Danilovic. Williams was knocked out in the first round of both her warm-up tournaments and has competed sparingly in recent seasons. Day one delivered heat, history and early surprises, setting the tone for what promises to be another gripping Australian Open.