Sabalenka, Zheng ease into French Open second round

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China both cruised into the second round of the French Open on Sunday.

Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, dominanted the match with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova. Her best result at Roland Garros was a semifinal appearance two years ago.

Eighth seed Zheng defeated former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round.

"I'm happy to win this match, especially as I think she is a great opponent, playing really aggressively," Zheng said afterwards.

"The first match of the tournament is never easy, so I'm happy today and I'm really happy to be back at Roland Garros. Thanks to the crowd who supported me today," she added.

Zheng has now reached the second round at Roland Garros for the fourth straight year and extended her winning streak at the venue to seven matches, dating back to her gold medal run at Paris 2024. Zheng will next face Colombia's Emiliana Arango.

Elsewhere, China's Yuan Yue fell to fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Jasmine Paolini returns a shot during the women's singles first round match between Jasmine Paolini of Italy and Yuan Yue of China at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros, Paris, France, May 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Last year's runner-up Paolini had to work harder for the win. Yuan led 3-2 in the deciding set before Paolini, fresh off her Italian Open victory, broke back and reeled off four straight games to close out the match.

In the men's draw, Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, seeded eighth, advanced to the second round with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 victory over German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.

"I feel ready to try to go for the trophy," said Musetti. "I think clay probably is the surface which I feel the most comfortable."