Sabalenka loses one game in thumping Paris opener
French Open 2025
Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros
Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app
World number one Aryna Sabalenka dropped only one game as she beat Kamilla Rakhimova to get her French Open campaign under way in emphatic style.
Sabalenka needed just one hour to beat Russian opponent Rakhimova 6-1 6-0 in Paris.
The Belarusian ramped up her performance as the match went on, winning nine games in a row to close out the match.
Opening up the first day's play on Court Philippe Chatrier, Sabalenka served up five aces, hit 30 winners and broke her opponent's serve five times on her way to a comfortable victory under the roof.
A three-time Grand Slam singles champion, Sabalenka has never reached the final of the French Open before – her best performance a semi-final run in 2023.
But on this evidence, the 27-year-old is justifying her tag as one of the tournament favourites.
She could face Chinese eighth seed Zheng Qinwen – who she beat in the 2024 Australian Open final – in the quarters and three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semis.
Before that, Sabalenka will play Switzerland's Jil Teichmann or Italian qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini for a spot in the last 32.
After rampaging to victory over Rakhimova, Sabalenka took pictures of her bags and the court with a polaroid camera – something which has become a tradition for her this season.
Asked about the camera by former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli on court after her win, Sabalenka said: "The idea was to take some good moments in my life – I started in December and I already have a pretty big album.
"When I feel sad, I go through the album and remember the good moments, they give me good vibes.
"The album is full of my team, which is annoying sometimes but it is good fun."
