As Aryna Sabalenka walked through the tunnel at Rod Laver Arena that leads players directly to the field, the cameras momentarily caught a perfect shot. The path to the main court at Melbourne Park is filled with large, rectangular plaques emblazoned with the names of past champions and the dates of their triumphs.

For a second, Sabalenka stood perfectly next to the sign commemorating her victories at the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open. She was already focused on setting new records and goals, but she kept going.

Over the next two weeks, Sabalenka will attempt to become the first woman in 26 years since Martina Hingis to win three consecutive Australian Open singles titles. She opened her title defense in Melbourne with a confident performance, defeating former US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.

After a dominant start, Sabalenka was pulled back from 4-0 to 4-3 in the opening set by Stephens. Just when the game could have become an extremely close contest, Sabalenka reasserted her dominance and secured an excellent win.

“I think there’s a big difference comparing myself to where I was three years ago,” she said. “At that moment I would get frustrated and probably lose the first set. I’m not sure if I could win the match. I remember that. I’m really glad that I’ve improved, let’s say, my mental strength. I am able to stay focused no matter what the result is or what the situation is.”

Sabalenka has now won 28 of her last 29 games in Australia and remains the tournament favorite. As the world No. 1 tries to deal with the pressure that comes with her status, Sabalenka is trying not to focus on her end goals.

“I think the biggest lesson I learned last year is that I’m just not focused on defending titles or having the opportunity to write my name in history, whatever,” Sabalenka said. “I think the key is just to continue to focus on yourself, do your best and see what happens after the tournament.”

While Sabalenka had an uneventful day due to Rod Laver Arena’s excellent roof, the opening day of the 2025 Australian Open was otherwise a chaotic affair, punctuated by dramatic rainstorms in the first seven hours of play. During the day, court space was so limited that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were forced to train on the same court at the same time, with the two best men’s players in the world using one half of an indoor court.

After hours of waiting for the rain to let up, Britain’s Sonay Kartal suffered a disappointing 6-1, 7-6(5) defeat to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain, who will face Sabalenka in the second round. After years of injury problems, 35-year-old Kei Nishikori produced a classic comeback performance in his first Australian Open appearance since 2021, saving two match points before recovering against Thiago Monteiro to take the second round with an excellent 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 win.