Australian Open Day 1 order of play: Sabalenka and Williams headline opening day
WTA Tennis • • sports
Key Points:
- Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have been the top two players on the WTA Tour for nearly four years, but Sabalenka emphasizes the depth of competition including Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula.
- Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed at the Australian Open, starts her campaign against Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, a rising French player ranked No. 118, with Sabalenka aiming to reach her fourth consecutive final in Melbourne.
- Other notable first-round matches include No. 7 Jasmine Paolini facing qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, No. 12 Elina Svitolina against Cristina Bucsa, and former US Open champion Emma
