{"id":96051,"date":"2026-01-18T12:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T17:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=96051"},"modified":"2026-01-18T12:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T17:03:12","slug":"australian-open-day-1-womens-recap-williams-three-seeded-players-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2026\/01\/18\/australian-open-day-1-womens-recap-williams-three-seeded-players-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Day 1 Women’s Recap: Williams Plays, Three Seeded Players Exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka<\/a>, the legendary Venus Williams, and last year’s runner-up in Cincinnati, Jasmine Paolini<\/a>, all featured on Day 1 of women’s action at the Australian Open<\/a>. There were epic three-set battles and some surprising results for fans in Melbourne to enjoy. This article recaps who impressed, which players could have done better, and picks the day’s most enthralling match.<\/p>\n

Australian Open Day 1 Women’s Recap<\/h2>\n

Who Looked Good<\/h4>\n

Aryna Sabalenka made a trademark start to her Grand Slam campaign. The Bulgarian has not lost before the quarterfinals of a Major since the 2022 French Open<\/a> or in the opening round since the 2020 Australian Open. She got tested in the opening set by Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah before running away with the second set to triumph 6-4 6-1. Sabalenka was only broken once and must be happy with a solid first performance.<\/p>\n

Elsa Jacquemot won what was a strong contender for the best match of Day 1 against the 20th seed Marta Kostyuk. The Frenchwoman could have wilted after losing a lengthy opening set on a tiebreak or when she found herself match point down in the second. Instead, Jacquemot found a way to triumph 6-7 7-6 7-6<\/a>. Kostyuk had an unfortunate fall where she hurt her ankle in the third set. That impacted the Ukrainian, and it would be unfair to slam her performance.<\/p>\n

Elina Svitolina avoided her compatriot Kostyuk’s fate against Cristina Bucsa. She comfortably prevailed 6-4 6-1 without needing to be amazing, but performed solidly. Increasing her first-serve percentage from 50% is the sole area the veteran will likely look to improve in the next round.<\/p>\n

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Emma Raducanu was the third player to progress with a 6-4 6-1 score. The 2021 US Open champion<\/a> had to work in the opener against Mananchaya Sawangkaew, who played better than the final score suggests. Taking all four break point chances and winning 78% of second serve return points proved crucial for the Briton.<\/p>\n

Who Looked Bad<\/h4>\n

No. 11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova was the biggest scalp on Day 1 of the women’s action at the Australian Open. Zeynep Sonmez defeated her 7-5 4-6 6-4. While the Turkish player deserves credit, Alexandrova, who was close to qualifying for last year’s WTA Finals, played very poorly by her standards. She was broken eight times, which is a startling statistic for someone with one of the best serves in women’s tennis.<\/p>\n

Aliaksandra Sasnovich could have put up a better fight against Jasmine Paolini. She started as a significant underdog against the two-time Grand Slam runner-up, but would have lost to almost anyone in the draw with her lackluster showing. Paolini cruised to a 6-1 6-2 success and only faced one break point in the entire match.<\/p>\n

No. 26 seed Dayana Yastremska must also be disappointed with her performance. She was on the back foot for most of her match against Elena-Gabriela because of wayward groundstrokes. Saving 9 of 14 break points faced kept the score respectable, but Yastremska ultimately succumbed to a 4-6 5-7 defeat.<\/p>\n

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Match of the Day<\/h4>\n

Jacquemot’s triumph over Kostyuk and Zhuoxuan Bai’s dramatic 6-4 2-6 7-6 victory against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova were contenders for the best match of Day 1. However, Venus Williams’s battle with Olga Danilovic outmatched them. Some questioned why the 45-year-old Williams received a wild card<\/a>, but she delivered an emphatic response with her performance.<\/p>\n

After a closely contested opening set with one break for each woman, Williams delighted the fans at John Cain Arena by taking it on a tiebreak. She missed two set points before securing the tiebreak 7-5 with a forehand winner. The fiery Danilovic regained her composure excellently in the second. After taking a 3-0 lead, the Serbian did not look back and forced a decider by winning it 6-3.<\/p>\n

In stark contrast to the previous set, Williams raced out of the blocks in the third. She utterly dominated, taking a 4-0 lead. With how she had been serving, the tennis legend looked destined for the second round. What Danilovic did in the next six games was utterly remarkable. She did not wilt under the pressure and barely missed a shot for the rest of the match.<\/p>\n

Williams was broken three times without reply and lost 7-6 3-6 4-6. It was a heartbreaking ending for the seven-time Grand Slam winner, but how she played at 45 will be remembered.<\/p>\n