Aryna Sabalenka booked her place in the second round of the French Open with a 6-1 6-0 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova. In a bout that lasted exactly an hour, there was never any jeopardy, with the World #1 typically unplayable. It emphasised why she is the woman to beat, as she looks to win her first Roland Garros title.
Aryna Sabalenka Wins With Ease
Press Conference Revelations
Sabalenka has come into this tournament as the favorite, and she knows it. Not only does she know it, she owns it. There’s been a real change of dynamic, with the ever-dominant Iga Swiatek usually expected to breeze through the Roland Garros draw. At just 23, she already has four titles to her name, but a disappointing season so far, and a horror draw means that she no longer seems as imperious. So, in steps Sabalenka as the favorite. She is still searching for her first non-hard court Grand Slam. Last season in Paris, she reached the quarterfinal before being struck by illness in a tight loss to teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva.
Sitting top of the rankings, she has come in with a target on her back and embraces this. She spoke to the press before taking to court against Rakhimova saying,
“Knowing there is someone chasing me or having a target on my back right now, I love it. I take it as a challenge. Every time I go out there, I feel like ‘OK, let’s go’. Let’s see who is ready for the pressure moments. It’s actually helping me to stay in the moment and fight, no matter what, on the court.”
A Dominant Opening Set
There was an eerie feel to Court Philippe Chatrier for the opening day’s action. A barely full crowd sat indoors thanks to the present rain from the Parisian clouds. This had no effect on Sabalenka, though, who took just twenty-five minutes to register her first set of this years tournament.
From the off, the ball striking was incredibly clean and powerful. Especially on serve, the world #1 was able to pin Rakhimova into the backhand corner and subsequentially wrong foot her time and time again, with a shot back in behind. She was relaxed, swinging freely and even finding time to experiment, trying many drop shots.
On the other side of the net, Rakhimova was clearly nervous. On serve she struggled, winning just 29% of her second serve points. She regularly corrected her ball toss; an alarming sign on an indoor court free from wind and sun. On the baseline, she was never going to outfight Sabalenka, so she tried to bring the 1st seed into the net, with frequent drop shots, but the opportunities she was able to create were squandered time after time. In the end, she held her serve just once, and opted for a bathroom break to compose herself.
More of the Same in the Second Set
Unsurprisingly, the bathroom break did little to change the course of the game. Neither did a mid-match change of racket frame. The gap in quality was a chasm. Anything that Rakhimova put in the striking zone was swept away. On the occasions where she managed to get full depth on her groundstrokes, Sabalenka’s counter-punching abilities mesmerised.
Admittedly, the Belarusian’s concentration wavered from time to time, yet that was simply of a consequence of the lack of competitivity. Games three and four were lengthy and saw many errors from Sabalenka, but when push came to shove, she produced. Five love up and on serve she found herself 30-0 down, before reeling off four straight points. It rounded off a statement performance.
Bringing in The Drop Shot
Even in such a routine win, we learned a lot about Sabalenka’s tactical approach. Without being disrespectful to Rakhimova, it felt as though she was sharpening her tools for the later rounds. On the few occasions that she found herself on the back foot, she often used the backhand slice to neutralise the rally.
Moreover, she frequently turned to the drop shot. At times it felt forced and admittedly, she rarely executed them well. If anything, she was so certain in her ability, she could treat the opening round at times as a training match, honing her touch.
It’s what all the great players do: continually look to evolve and improve their game. The old saying, “to stand still is to fall back” rings particularly true. Sabalenka’s serve and baseline game are as good as anyone’s. Only Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko can produce the same power, yet none are able to do so as consistently over a long period of time.
If she could add world-class touch and slice to her game, it would be a scary prospect for the rest of the Tour. Clearly, there is progress to make, but you’d be silly to bet against her fulfilling this.
A Title Ahead?
So, does this match change anything? Not exactly. If anything, it reinstates the already present feeling in Paris. It was business as usual from the best player in the world, and in the next two weeks it’s going to take something special to stop her.
Next up is either Jil Teichmann or Lucrezia Stefanini. Truthfully, it’s hard to see any other outcome than another routine victory. She is in her element, and it will take one great effort to wrestle the title from her.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
