Sabalenka's 16th straight win in Melbourne came via a victory over Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro with set scores of 6–3, 7–5. The world number one from Belarus also carries a heavy favorite tag into the tournament, which she has won for the past two years. If she succeeds in taking her third consecutive title, it will be the first time in 26 years that anyone has achieved this on the women's side in Melbourne.
In the next round, Danish player Clara Tauson awaits, whereas Sabalenka does not need to worry about last year's finalist, Zheng Qinwen of China. 15 years older German Laura Siegemund surprised by defeating the 22-year-old with 7–6, 6–3 in sets.
Zheng Qinwen, who came to this year's first Grand Slam tournament without having played any preparatory matches, was otherwise on the same side of the draw as Sabalenka and a potential opponent before a possible final.
On the men's side, it was a setback for another star, Norwegian Casper Ruud. He lost with 1–3 in sets against Czech talent Jakub Mensik.
It was the first time world number six Ruud faced the 19-year-old Mensik. The Czech has only played on the ATP tour for two years and stood for a rapid climb in the ranking last year – from 167th to 48th place. He is the youngest player among the top 50 in the world.
On the other hand, Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz had no problems with Yoshihito Nishioka. The Japanese player was defeated in three straight sets, 6–0, 6–1, 6–4.
