Aryna Sabalenka reached the second round of the French Open, defeating her opponent ranked 50th in the world and the scorching heat of Paris.
Published May 26, 2026
Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one in the world rankings and a finalist who lost last year, had a stunning victory in the opening round of the French Open, defeating Spain’s Jessica Buzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 in just 75 minutes.
Sabalenka, still chasing her first Roland Garros title, raced to a 4-0 lead on Tuesday on sunny Court Philippe-Chatrier, but unforced errors crept into her game, allowing her opponent two breakbacks and serving at 5-5.
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However, a double fault handed the first set to top-seeded Belarus, who opened up a 5-0 advantage in the second set.
Buzas Maneiro held two more games to break at 5-2, but a double fault gave Sabalenka an easy win.
The four-time Grand Slam champion’s only misstep as she returned to winning ways on clay after an unexpected early exit at the Italian Open was missing the winning serve.
She promptly broke back against the world No. 50 in her next match to seal the victory, before leaving the court rubbing an ice pack on her face.
“I’m happy to be back. Thank you for your support. It’s a hot day. Thank you so much for staying. And everyone, please remember to stay hydrated,” Sabalenka told the crowd on Center Court as the heat wave continued in Paris for the start of the tournament.
“I think everyone feels pressure…but I’m used to it so I know how to ignore (it).”
Sabalenka said of her return to winning clay courts: “That’s the most fun part of the game. Being able to come to the net and compete for points there. It’s a lot of fun.”
“I’m really happy that I was able to improve that part of my game and bring it to the court,” she added.
Champion Gauff on cruise control for Townsend fight
Coco Gauff began her French Open title defense with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over fellow American Taylor Townsend.
Townsend, who had defeated Gauff in their only meeting in 2019, broke in the opening round.
The 30-year-old held her first two service games but could only win one more game after trailing 3-1 in the opening round. Down 3-5 in the first match, Townsend saved a set point on Gauff’s serve, but quickly dropped her serve and lost the set, ending her resistance.
Gauff cruised through the second set in 24 minutes and will face Egypt’s Mayal Sherif in the next round.
Gauff said she applied ice to the Philippe Chatrier cauldron during the break because her coach told her to.
“I’m from Florida, so this is no big deal,” the fourth-seeded player said on court. “To be honest, I felt more sorry for the fans. We were watching in the heat, so I was hoping no one would pass out. So I’m glad it ended quickly.”
