Sabalenka makes quick work of Martincova to reach second round at the Australian Open

Behind an excellent serving performance, Aryna Sabalenka cruised past Tereza Martincova in their first round Australian Open encounter on Tuesday.

The big-hitting Belarusian looked impressive in her 6-1 6-4 victory, requiring just 69 minutes to power past her opponent. Sabalenka was devastating on serve, winning 27 of 31 points behind her first serve. Furthermore, the fifth seed committed only three double faults, an improvement considering she had been struggling with her serve for he bulk of the 2022 season.

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Martincova was unable to handle the firepower coming from her higher-ranked opponent, as the Czech player could only muster 7 winners to Sabalenka's 29. Additionally, Sabalenka was able to capitalize on three of six break point opportunities, while relying on her improved serve to save all five break points faced.

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The World No.5 has yet to claim the elusive Grand Slam title, and will hope to accomplish this in Melbourne, although her best career result was a fourth round showing at last year's event.