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Sporting the turquoise version of the Nike Summer Slam Dress from the brand’s Paris collection, top seed Aryna Sabalenka stormed into the second round of Roland Garros with a 6-1 6-0 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Arriving in Paris as the in-form player on tour, Sabalenka began her campaign for a maiden Roland Garros title with a dominant performance, conceding just one game to world No. 86 Rakhimova and extending her head-to-head record against the Russian to 3-0.
The Belarusian faced only two break points, both in the fourth game of the second set, and coolly saved them with winners. On return, she capitalized on five of 11 break point opportunities, leaving little room for her opponent to breathe.
In a display of controlled aggression, Sabalenka blasted 30 winners, including five aces, while keeping her unforced errors to 17. The three-time Grand Slam champion has won three titles so far in 2025, including her recent triumph on the clay of Madrid, and holds a commanding 35-6 win-loss record this season.
In the second round of the French Open, Sabalenka will face Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann, who earned her spot with a 6-4 6-4 win over qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini. The two have met once before, on the hard courts of Doha, where Sabalenka cruised to a 6-2 6-1 victory.
Sabalenka’s best performance at Roland Garros was a semifinal finish in 2023. Last year she made the quarterfinals.
