Paris, May 25 -- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka launched her French Open campaign in ruthless fashion on Sunday, dispatching Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 6-0 in just 60 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Seeded at the top in Paris for the first time, Sabalenka signalled her intentions with a commanding display of aggressive, precise tennis that left her 23-year-old opponent with no answers. The Belarusian, a three-time Grand Slam champion, fired 30 winners - 17 of them off the forehand - and won 66 percent of her first-serve return points in a near-flawless performance.
Sabalenka, 27, broke Rakhimova's serve five times and never faced a break herself, saving the only two chances the Russian had midway through the second set. The opening ...