The No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the second round of the German Open on Tuesday with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 victory over qualifier Vera Zvonareva.
Current World No.2 needed just 66 minutes to defeat former World No.2 and 2010 Wimbledon finalist Zvonareva. Sabalenka extended her undefeated record against Zvonareva to 3-0 after their first grass-court meeting.
The victory marked a Berlin breakthrough for Sabalenka, who had lost her opening match in each of her two previous appearances at the tournament.
She cracked 27 winners, well outpacing Zvonareva’s three. Sabalenka also converted three of her nine breakpoints in the match, while never facing a single breakpoint on her own service.
In the second round, Sabalenka will face either last week’s ‘s-Hertogenbosch runner-up Veronika Kudermetova or last season’s WTA Newcomer of the Year Zheng Qinwen.
In other action, reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina made a winning start on her return to grass, defeating qualifier Polina Kudermetova 6-4, 6-2 in the first round.
This match was Rybakina’s first since withdrawing from Roland Garros due to illness ahead of her third-round clash with Sara Sorribes Tormo. It was also her eighth straight grass-court win following last year’s title run at Wimbledon.
She will next take on Donna Vekic of Croatia on Wednesday.
In the same quarter, lucky loser Elina Avanesyan saved two match points and upset No.8 seed Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7).
Avanesyan was not even in the main draw until early on Tuesday. She replaced 30th-ranked Petra Martic, who withdrew from her scheduled match against Kasatkina due to a lower back injury.
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