On January 12th, Beijing time, in the first round of the new season's Australian Open women's singles match, Sabalenka faced off against Stephens. Ultimately, Sabalenka defeated Stephens with scores of 6-3 and 6-2, winning the match between two Grand Slam champions in straight sets and advancing to the next round where she will face Bosas, ranked 52nd in the world.
As the defending champion of the Australian Open, Sabalenka made her debut with the goal of achieving a three-peat. Prior to participating in the Australian Open, Sabalenka registered for the WTA500 Brisbane Station, where she achieved an impressive record of five consecutive victories, securing her first championship title of the new season and her 18th career tour championship.
This year, Sabalenka faces the pressure of maintaining 2000 points, and her first-round opponent is Stephens, who won the 2017 US Open women's singles title. Therefore, this match is also a contest between two Grand Slam champions. However, in their previous four encounters, Sabalenka has maintained a perfect record, with their last meeting taking place during the 2023 French Open.
In the first set, Sabalenka started by serving and easily held serve with four consecutive points. She then broke in the second game, leaving Stephens helpless against her serve. Despite holding two set points in the fourth game, Stephens was broken again, falling behind 0-4.
Suddenly, Sabalenka lost her form, not only being broken but also losing three consecutive games to Stephens, who caught up to 3-4. However, the defending champion quickly adjusted, breaking and holding serve to win the first set 6-3.
In the second set, Sabalenka began to exert herself, breaking in the third and fifth games to establish a commanding 5-1 lead, putting Stephens in a desperate situation. In the seventh game, Stephens managed to hold serve and win one game back. In the eighth game, Sabalenka capitalized on her serve-to-win game, winning 6-2, and ultimately sweeping through to the next round with a total score of 2-0.
Sabalenka's state is becoming increasingly outstanding, which is definitely not good news for Zheng Qinwen. In this Australian Open, the two are in the same quarter-final division, meaning that if they both reach the quarter-finals, they will face each other directly, with only one advancing to the semi-finals and the other being eliminated.
According to statistics, Zheng Qinwen has lost all five previous matches against Sabalenka, including four defeats last year, with hardly any ability to fight back. Sabalenka is truly Zheng Qinwen's number one nemesis. Zheng Qinwen started slowly in the first round, while Sabalenka's state exploded. If they really meet in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen is likely to still be unable to overcome this defending champion.