With a 6-1 6-2 victory against her 19-year-old opponent—who is ranked 98 places lower than her—the second seed was never really challenged.
In January, Belarus’s Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open title. She also advanced to consecutive clay-court finals in Madrid and Rome, where she was defeated by Iga Swiatek.
Rain caused much of the day’s play at Roland Garros to be delayed, something that Sabalenka acknowledged in jest as she thanked the audience for coming to see her.
“I know you guys didn’t have a choice [of court] because it’s raining outside so you had to be on this one,” she continued.
“I’m super happy to see all of you tonight supporting us.”
Elena Rybakina was one among the victors on Wednesday, defeating Greet Minnen of Belgium 6-2 6-3 after a sluggish start.
However, Alize Cornet’s playing career came to an end when, in her last match, she lost 6-2 6-1 against Zheng Qinwen, a seventh-seeded Chinese player.
