Australian Open | Jasmine Paolini stuns in first Rod Laver Arena match with dazzling straight-set victory

The 7th seed Jasmine Paolini kicked off her Australian Open campaign with a strong first-round victory at Rod Laver Arena, defeating the experienced Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2. The Italian delivered a commanding performance in her opening match, showing readiness for the first Grand Slam of the year.

Sasnovich, a former top-30 player, was a tricky opponent due to her extensive experience at the top level, although she had dropped in the rankings over the past couple of seasons following several injuries. Just a few weeks ago, she had beaten Clara Tauson in Brisbane, arriving in Melbourne with confidence after recording 7 wins in her last 8 matches.

Despite this form, Sasnovich could not overcome a Paolini playing at a much higher level. The Italian had only one competitive tournament under her belt in the lead-up, a brief appearance at the United Cup, where she lost consecutive matches to Belinda Bencic but earned a first win against Leolia Jeanjean. Without additional match play before the Australian Open, Paolini had to prove she could start the season strongly despite limited match preparation.

From the very beginning of the match, Paolini took control, leaving Sasnovich (No. 102) struggling—perhaps affected by the stage, as Rod Laver Arena was full and Sasnovich had largely been absent from major tournaments over the past couple of seasons. Returning to a central court at a Grand Slam, Sasnovich started out of rhythm and paid for her numerous unforced errors.

Paolini saved a break point against her in the first game and quickly seized the set. She won 13 of 14 points in a short stretch, securing a double break in her favor within minutes. Her service games were smooth and confident, giving her a 5-0 lead. Sasnovich managed to hold just one service game, but she never threatened Paolini on return. The Italian closed the first set 6-1 in only 27 minutes, with Sasnovich committing 17 unforced errors, accounting for more than 60% of the points Paolini won in the set.

As the second set began, Sasnovich tried to rally on her serve, but she was not very effective. The Belarusian managed to hold her first service game, saving a break point in the process, but it still did not seem like things could improve much for her.

Paolini capitalized on Sasnovich’s lack of precision and stayed focused to take advantage of every opportunity. Serving comfortably—except for a couple of backhand shots that hit the net—the Italian took the next games easily. Sasnovich’s errors made the task simple for the two-time Grand Slam finalist, who recorded two consecutive breaks and won five games in a row.

The Italian even had a couple of match points on return in the sixth game, but Sasnovich managed to save them and slightly reduce the score. Still, without any major difficulties, Paolini closed out the match on her own serve, winning 6-1, 6-2 in just one hour and 10 minutes.

For the third consecutive year, the Italian has passed the first round at the Australian Open, something she had not managed in her first four appearances. In the second round, she will face the winner of the match between Poland’s Magdalena Frech (No. 57) and Slovakia’s Veronika Erjavec (No. 99).