Melbourne, Jan 21 (.) World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka continued her smooth progress at the 2026 Australian Open, advancing to the third round on Wednesday, while Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu suffered an early exit in Melbourne. According to Olympics.com, the two-time Australian Open champion needed just 72 minutes to dispatch qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan 6-3, 6-1 in the second round of the season’s opening Grand Slam. Sabalenka was dominant throughout, underlining her status as the top seed and a leading contender for a third title at Melbourne Park.
Sabalenka had been on course for a potential third-round clash with 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, but that matchup failed to materialise after Anastasia Potapova eliminated the Briton.
Potapova, who recently switched nationality from Russia to Austria, defeated Raducanu 7-6(3), 6-2 to reach the third round of the Australian Open for the second time in her career.
The 24-year-old’s win marked her first appearance in the third round of a Grand Slam since the 2024 US Open. Raducanu, meanwhile, admitted she would take time away to reassess her game following the defeat.
“I don’t think I’m going to get straight back on the practice court,” Raducanu said in her post-match press conference. “I think I’m going to take a few days, get back home, and try and just re-evaluate my game a bit.”
Elsewhere in the women’s singles draw, eighth seed Mirra Andreeva made a strong statement of intent with a commanding 6-0, 6-4 victory over world No. 53 Maria Sakkari. The teenager will now look to reach the fourth round in Melbourne for the third consecutive year.
There was also a landmark moment for Turkish tennis, as qualifier Zeynep Sönmez continued her impressive run. The 23-year-old reached the third round to become the first Turkish player in the Open Era to do so at the Australian Open, having achieved the same feat at Wimbledon last year.
In the men’s singles competition, Australia’s top-ranked player Alex de Minaur thrilled the home crowd with a comeback win over Hamad Medjedovic. After dropping the opening set, de Minaur recovered to claim a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory.
The match was played in front of a special spectator, with Sydney 2000 Olympic women’s 400m champion Cathy Freeman in attendance.
. VAN .