Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka punched her ticket to the third round of Australian Open 2025 by mounting a second set comeback to defeat Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3 7-5.
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The top seed, now accustomed to her status as favourite, said she enjoys being challenged by new opponents, all generally underdogs who have the freedom to strike the ball fearlessly.
“They play good and I have to play better so this is the way I improve my game, and I love it,” she said, crediting the world No.54 for making her fight for every point. “Girls can go [out] there and just play without any fear, without anything to lose, they can put you in [a] really uncomfortable position.”
“Super happy to have finished this match in straight sets, she played incredible tennis,” she added.
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In the pair’s first meeting, Bouzas Maneiro - Spain’s second-highest ranked female - reproduced some of the shotmaking that fuelled her upset of defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the major’s opening round last July. The Spaniard served four aces to Sabalenka’s two.
“Today you guys were a bit more cheering for her but it’s okay, I forgive you,” Sabalenka told the Rod Laver Arena crowd after earning her 16th straight win at Melbourne Park on Wednesday in overcast and occasionally breezy conditions.
Sabalenka, who won a mere 61 per cent of first serve points, broke her opponent three times in the opening set and appeared poised to seize control of the match.
But Bouzas Maneiro’s heavy groundstrokes and ability to redirect Sabalenka’s pace facilitated an early break in the second, which the 22-year-old consolidated for a 4-1 lead.
She led 5-2 and served for the set a game later, but was denied by a laser-focused Sabalenka who employed tactical drop shots as well as full-blown power off both wings to flip the script and snatch a 6-5 lead.
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The Spaniard saved two match points, and a defiant Sabalenka punched the air after placing a stunning cross-court forehand winner to earn a third, which she converted as a backhand from Bouzas Maneiro found the net.
Addressing a surprise loss by Zheng Qinwen, who Sabalenka overwhelmed in last year’s final, the top seed said she’s less concerned about what's happening elsewhere in the draw and is concentrating on getting herself through each match.
“I have to go [out] there, I have to compete, I have to fight,” she said. “I prefer to focus day by day, step by step...hopefully I can do really well here.”
While she’s served as fast as 183km/h this week, 10km slower than tournament serve speed leader Madison Keys, Sabalenka is putting less emphasis on that metric, focusing instead on placement. “I think I was too much into that machine,” she mused, adding that she is more focused on points won on serve as well as overall accuracy.
A three-peat, which would make her the first world No.1 to win an Australian Open women’s singles title since Ash Barty in 2022, remains in reach, but for now Sabalenka is looking forward to facing Clara Tauson, another first-time opponent, in the third round.
“I know that she's [a] very aggressive player, serving well, hitting pretty heavy shots, it's going to be [a] great battle,” she said.