Australian Open 2025: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka opens hat-trick quest with simple Stephens win

Aryna Sabalenka is officially up and running at the 2025 Australian Open with the defending champion taking down Sloane Stephens with relative ease 6-3, 6-2 to end Sunday's action on a rain delayed day in Melbourne.

The reigning champion at the Australian Open and the US Open, Sabalenka's streak of winning on hard court majors is no joke and that was proven again today as she extended the overall run to 15. Sabalenka is on an outstanding run of 28-1 overall only losing to Coco Gauff back in 2023 at the US Open.

A defeat which dented her confidence at the time but opened up the inner beast in the now World No.1 who rules the sport. Sabalenka is bidding to become the first woman since Martina Hingis to pull off a three peat in Melbourne. Hingis did so from 1997 to 1999.

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She is also seeded for the first time in Melbourne and will aim to become the first player since Ashleigh Barty to live up to her top seed billing with Swiatek unable to do so in previous years.

Sabalenka needed just seven minutes to breeze into a 3-0 lead over Stephens. The 2017 US Open champion showed some sort of a retort as she got the match back on serve at 4-3 but Sabalenka again hit another gear. Sabalenka broke on her fourth break point to regain the lead which she didn't relinquish.

That early return from Stephens too was her only resolve in the match with Sabalenka breaking twice in the second for an easy 6-2 second set. She claimed the win with 20 winners and broke Stephens five times from 13 break points. She will now face off against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro who will hope to bring forward her excellence at times over the past year to trouble Sabalenka. She saw off Sonay Kartal 6-1, 7-6(5) in the opening round earlier today.

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