World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the third round of the Australian Open after defeating Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan with a score of 6-3, 6-1 in just 32 minutes.
This match marked the first encounter between Sabalenka and former World No. 83 Bai, who faced a challenging year with injuries, arriving in Melbourne ranked No. 702 in the world. Wednesday’s victory was Sabalenka’s 25th singles match win as the World No. 1, making her the sixth player since 2000 to achieve this milestone, joining the ranks of Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Ash Barty, and Iga Swiatek.
The two-time champion, Sabalenka, recorded her seventh consecutive win to kick off 2026. This victory also marks her progression to the third round of the Australian Open for the sixth consecutive year. In addition to her impressive 7-0 record to start the year, she remains undefeated in second-round matches in Melbourne.
Bai found herself on the back foot early, struggling to find the necessary pace, quickly falling to 0-5 within the first 15 minutes. A couple of aces allowed her to finally get on the scoreboard, but Sabalenka’s grip on the opening set tightened when she was broken while serving for it.
Having successfully defended 25 of 38 break points in the qualifying rounds and the first match, Bai faced three more in a lengthy nearly 10-minute game before Sabalenka regained control, according to Australian Open reports.
Despite initially jumping to a 4-0 lead in the second set, Sabalenka experienced some challenges. However, her persistence ensured she stayed on course, closing the match in 74 minutes and setting up a third-round meeting against either the 28th seed Emma Raducanu or Anastasia Potapova.
Meanwhile, Elina Svitolina maintained her strong start to the 2026 season, securing a second-round victory with a score of 7-5, 6-1 over Linda Klimovicova. She will face another new opponent, Diana Shnaider, in the third round, marking the first confirmed seeded match of the tournament. Shnaider managed to save two match points against Australian wildcard Talia Gibson to complete a comeback, winning 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.