By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Aryna Sabalenka launched her bid for a third successive Australian Open title with a storm of power hitting and a 6-3 6-2 demolition of former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens on Sunday.

Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus cruises to easy win over USA's Sloane Stephens as other matches are delayed by wet weather.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka began her Australian Open title defense by defeating Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-2 in the first round on Sunday.

Aryna Sabalenka has started her bid to become the first woman in a quarter-century to win three consecutive Australian Open titles with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 2017 U.S. 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3,

Blinkova produced one of the moments of the 2024 Australian Open, when she won a 42-point match tiebreak against Elena Rybakina in the third round. Blinkova will face a different kind of challenge from the partisan crowd on Margaret Court Arena, as Saville attempts to reach the second round at her home major for the second time.

Sabalenka will soon embark on her quest for three consecutive titles at the Australian Open. To highlight that exciting story, Nike dropped an advertisement that is already an instant classic. Check out the 40-second Instagram video below.

Aryna Sabalenka took her first step Sunday toward a third consecutive Australian Open title as the top-seeded Belarusian breezed to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Sloane Stephens in a first-round match in Melbourne.