Aryna Sabalenka, chasing her third Australian Open crown, has stormed into Melbourne Park with fierce intent. She’s only stumbled once here in the last two years, falling to Madison Keys in last year’s final. This time, though, an early scare from China’s Bai Zhouxuan in round two left her visibly rattled, but she was quick to give credit where it was due.

The Belarusian had to dig deep on Wednesday night at Rod Laver Arena, surviving a gritty test from Bai. Up 5-0 in the first set, the top seed looked poised for a breeze. Then Bai broke her serve, and suddenly, tension filled the air. The brief wobble tested Sabalenka’s composure, but once she steadied herself, the defending champion found her rhythm again and pulled away fast.

“Yeah, I feel great, happy to get this win,” Aryna Sabalenka said afterward. “Tricky, tricky opponent. She really stepped in in the first set, and for a moment I felt like, ‘Okay, what should I do? She’s crushing it.’ I’m super happy that I was able to close that set.”

“I think it gave me a little more confidence that okay, I’m there, it’s okay, my team is there. Just focus, step by step, and yeah, super happy with the win,” she added.

Back on her favorite stage, Sabalenka knows how to shine under Melbourne’s bright lights. The Belarusian already owns back-to-back Australian Open titles from 2023 and 2024 and finished runner-up last year. With four Grand Slam trophies (two from New York), she’s now on the hunt for a fifth major to extend her growing legacy.

For Bai, once ranked World No.83, the night marked a bold step in her return. After an injury-hit season, she entered the tournament ranked No.702 and made her presence felt. A couple of clutch aces got her on the board early, even as Sabalenka began to tighten her grip on the rallies.

Under immense pressure, Bai made every point a battle. She had fended off 25 of 38 break points through qualifying and her opening match, and she pushed through a 10-minute marathon game to save three more.

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But Aryna Sabalenka’s power proved relentless. After needing seven set points to claim the opener, she charged through the second set, winning four straight games to end the contest in style.

Sabalenka’s season began at the Brisbane International, where she arrived as defending champion and sent an early message to the tour. From her opening match, she was ready for new challenges. Even playfully warned her rivals that she wasn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Aryna Sabalenka warns players ahead of the Australian Open

The world No. 1 wasted no time reminding everyone why she rules the court, cruising past Cristina Bucsa 6-0, 6-1 in just 47 minutes to reach the third round of the Brisbane International. It was swift, sharp, and utterly dominant.

Each shot landed with purpose, each return pushed Bucsa further off balance. Her numbers glowed: 18 winners to just nine unforced errors. It was complete control from the start. When asked if the one-sided scoreline was meant to send a message to her rivals, Sabalenka downplayed it with a smile.

“I don’t know,” Aryna Sabalenka said. “It’s tennis, as you know, and especially women’s tennis, so you can’t predict anything. I wasn’t trying to warn anyone (smiles) about the season. I was too focused on the things I worked on during the preseason.”

She still admitted the result could stir a little fear. “I was just trying to show my level. I did that well, and if anyone got scared because of it, I’d be happy to see the players give up, but that’s not going to happen, unfortunately. But I’m really happy with the level I was able to show today (Tuesday).”

Now into the third round of the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka will take on Anastasia Potapova next. Will she keep up the momentum and make another deep run at Melbourne?