BEIJING: World number one Aryna Sabalenka sailed into the second round of the China Open with an imperious 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Sofia Kenin of the United States on Sunday.
The Belarusian pummelled Kenin with a succession of mighty serves and groundstrokes and wrapped up the opening set with an ace after just 23 minutes.
The 25-year-old broke serve twice more in the second set as Kenin – playing with heavy strapping on her left thigh – failed to muster a response.
Sabalenka sealed the match with yet another unreturned serve to set up a tie against either Magdalena Frech or Katie Boulter in the next round.
"Honestly, I didn't expect to play that good on my serve – in practice, it didn't work very well," Sabalenka said at a post-match news briefing.
"But I was super hyped that I was able to bring that level on my serve today. I think it helped a lot," she said.
"I think that was the key of today's match."
All of the world's top eight are taking part in the women's draw this year, with second-ranked Iga Swiatek due to play Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo.
The China Open is taking place for the first time since 2019 after Beijing ended its isolationist zero-Covid policies.
The women's tournament is also in action for the first time since the global governing body ended a boycott of China this year.
The embargo had been declared after Chinese player Peng Shuai made sexual assault accusations against a top government official. --AFP