Sabalenka

No.5 seed Aryna Sabalenka reached the third round in Melbourne for the third straight year after knocking out Shelby Rogers on Rod Laver Arena.

Next up: Sabalenka will face either her former doubles partner, No.26 seed Elise Mertens, or last week's Hobart champion Lauren Davis in the third round. She was untroubled from there, cracking a backhand crosscourt winner to seal the match. All told, the No.5 seed reeled off five games in a row to snatch the one-set lead. Nevertheless, Sabalenka charged back from a break down in the first set on Rod Laver Arena to remain undefeated against Rogers. Sabalenka is now into the third round in Melbourne for the third straight year. Fast facts: Sabalenka had won her two previous meetings with World No.51 Rogers, both in 2022.

World No.5 Aryna Sabalenka has scored another straight-sets victory to storm into the Australian Open third round at Melbourne Park.

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Aryna Sabalenka's return of serve was devastating as she overpowered Shelby Rogers to reach the third round of the 2023 Australian Open.

An unforced error from Rogers brought the pair back on serve at 3-3 and Sabalenka began to play more freely. It's always a tough match against her." Sabalenka continued to dominate from the baseline in the second set and she ripped a vicious backhand winner off Rogers' second serv to clinch a break point and move into a 2-1 lead. The world No. 5 will play either USA's Lauren Davis or world No. Sabalenka got off to a shaky start, going down a break in the third game, but she bounced back in style, hitting 32 winners in total, to seal her place in the third round for the fourth time in her career.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka improved her winning streak to six as she...

19, 2023. How?! “How?! MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Oh-so-close to completing a straight-set upset of No. 19, 2023 2:06 p.m. 18, 2023 Updated: Jan. 20, 2023. 2 Ruud; Jabeur out, too; Djokovic wins HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer Jan.

American qualifier Katie Volynets upset No. 9 seed Veronika Kudermetova at the Australian Open, while Aryna Sabalenka overcame a slow start to beat Shelby ...

26-seeded player, or [Lauren Davis](http://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=1929) in the third round. [Katie Volynets](http://www.espn.com/tennis/player/_/id/3746/katie-volynets), a 21-year-old qualifier from the United States, reached the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time Thursday with an upset of No. The No. [Ekaterina Alexandrova](http://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=3182) defeated American [Taylor Townsend](http://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=2114) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. "I've never played in a stadium this packed and with that many people keeping the energy up for me. "I literally have the chills because the fans here are just incredible,'' said Volynets, who won 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Read on for tennis expert David Gertler's betting analysis of two Australian Open matches, including Sabalenka vs. Rogers.

[qualified](https://twitter.com/FirstServeTnnis/status/1613487384619892736) for the Australian Open before getting a fortunate first-round draw, [taking down](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31DHkpdfsgg) [World No. 445](https://www.wtatennis.com/players/312584/evgeniya-rodina) Evgeniya Rodina 6-3, 6-2. Even against weaker competition, Volynets has failed to win 70% of her first serves in any match this season. This will allow her to hit through Volynets from the baseline. Kudermetova has started this season strong and has showcased excellent baseline play. However, Volynets has not beaten any players currently inside the top 150 in the world, having beaten up on players without the reliable weapons to hit through her. Kudermetova has a well-placed serve and controls the baseline well, hitting with controlled aggression. She will control the baseline and push Rogers into more defensive positions than she wants. And Sabalenka won’t give Rogers many opportunities on her own serve. Rogers won 81% of her first-serve points, although she only won 40% of her second serves. Sabalenka has won all 10 sets she’s played this season, avoiding the dips in her play we saw in 2022. Sabalenka won 87% of her first serves, hit only three double faults, and went unbroken.