The remaining women’s first-round matches were completed on Day 3 of the Australian Open. Last year’s Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini and 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys got their campaigns underway. There was much drama on the second day, including an epic battle between two Americans. We at LWOT recap the best of the action in this article.
Australian Open Day 3 Women’s Recap
Who Looked Good
Keys played the critical points very well in her opening-round contest. She faced Ann Li, who beat her close friend Sloane Stephens twice in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Keys took all three break-point chances and survived several powerful forehands from Li to triumph 6-4 7-5 on the John Cain Arena.
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu battled through two tight sets against the 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. There were eight breaks of serve in a first set the Briton took on a tiebreak after Alexandrova twice failed to serve it out. Raducanu also won the second set on a tiebreak to seal a morale-boosting 7-6 7-6 victory in her opening match of the 2025 season.
Former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina achieved the most dominant win on Day 3 of the Australian Open. The Kazakhstani crushed Emerson Jones 6-1 6-1. Although the match was one-sided from start to finish, Jones is just 16-years-old and was making her first Grand Slam main draw appearance. Therefore, it would be harsh to criticize her performance.
Amanda Anisimova was also impressive in her first match of the season’s opening Grand Slam. She dominated during a 6-2, 6-3 win against Maria Lourdes Carle and could be a dark horse for a deep run in Melbourne if her powerful game is firing on all cylinders.
Who Looked Bad
Anhelina Kalinina did not do herself justice against Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian was nowhere near her blistering best and could have been beaten by many other players in the draw. Unfortunately for Kalinina, she struggled throughout with unforced errors, handing Jabeur a comfortable 6-3 6-3 victory.
Viktoriya Tomova was another woman who did not produce her best tennis. Daria Kasatkina’s gritty style would always present a significant challenge, but she did not make the No. 9 seed work hard during her 1-6 3-6 defeat on the John Cain Arena.
Match of the Day
There were three contenders for the best women’s match on Day 3 of the Australian Open. Camila Osorio upset Maria Sakkari by winning a lengthy and grueling battle 6-4 6-7 6-4 and Katie Boulter survived a brave effort from Rebecca Marino, narrowly coming through 6-4 3-6 7-5.
But Emma Navarro’s battle with Peyton Stearns eclipsed both those contests. The Americans hit several outstanding shots in their intense battle on the Rod Laver Arena. Stearns, who struck the ball aggressively throughout and used the correct gameplan against her athletic compatriot, took the opening set 7-5 on a tiebreak.
After a second set of even higher quality than the first, Navarro forced a decider by winning another tiebreak 7-5. Last year’s US Open semifinalist had her back firmly against the wall at 3-5 down in the third set. However, she did not flinch and showed the remarkable composure that has become her trademark. Navarro reeled off four consecutive games to complete a dramatic 6-7 7-6 7-5 success.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
