Despite a sluggish start, world number one Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her season with a straight-sets win over Renata Zarazua at the Brisbane International. (More Tennis News)
Having received a bye for the first round of the competition, the Belarusian rallied to a 6-4 6-0 victory in just 65 minutes on T𒁃uesda⛦y.
Sabalenka was 3-0 up early in the first se🐭t but Zarazua won the next three games to pull level before Sabalenka got a valuable break at 5-4 to take the advantage.
She was in cruise control after that, rounding off the win with a second-set bagel to start her preparation for the Australian Open, where sh🐈e is bidding to win a third consecutive title.
"The first match is🧜 always a tricky one," Sabalenka, who is starting the year as world number one for the first time in her care🦂er, said.
"It was a tricky start for me, but I'm glad that I closed it out in the first set, and in the second set, I♔ felt like whatever I tried to do, it would work for me.
"So, I'm really happy for the first win of the s🐼easo🎀n."
Sabalenka, who reached the final in Brisbane last year before losing to Elen🥀a Rybakina in the final, will face Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva in the next round.
Elsewhere, Ons Jabeur also booked a pla﷽ce in the next round with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova.
