Portugal Colonial - Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian Open

NYSE - LSE

SCS	0.12%	16.14	$
CMSC	-0.55%	23.53	$
RBGPF	0.12%	82.5	$
BCC	4.46%	88.895	$
NGG	1.49%	87.53	$
JRI	0.36%	13.167	$
AZN	2.06%	188.19	$
CMSD	-0.34%	23.86	$
GSK	6.17%	56.845	$
RIO	-0.9%	95.515	$
BCE	1.02%	26.37	$
RYCEF	-1.19%	16.8	$
BTI	-0.59%	61.51	$
RELX	-1.8%	29.97	$
BP	0.63%	39.065	$
VOD	2.18%	15.59	$

Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian Open / Photo: Paul Crock - AFP

Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian Open

SPORTS 18.01.2026

Jasmine Paolini powered into the Australian Open second round with a straight-sets demolition to kickstart the action in a hot and sunny Melbourne on Sunday.

Text size:

The seventh-seeded Italian outclassed Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

Paolini faces Poland's Magdalena Frech or Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia next.

"It was pretty good today, I did not expect that," she said of her emphatic win in 69 minutes.

"Always tough to play first round. I played pretty good. I was solid, focused, so happy.

"Before the match I was a little nervous, to be honest, but then stepped on court and felt good from the first ball."

The 30-year-old broke her opponent's serve immediately and raced into a 3-0 lead in just 10 minutes.

She polished off the first set in 26 minutes and although Sasnovich put up more resistance in the second, Paolini ran out a comfortable winner.

Paolini reached the finals of Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024, but her best result at Melbourne Park is the fourth round in the same year.

P.Serra--PC

Portugal Colonial - Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian Open

Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian Open

Featured

All lights are go for Jalibert, says France's Dupont

Coach Thioune tasked with saving battling Bremen

Vowles dismisses Williams 2026 title hopes as 'not realistic'

'Dinosaur' Glenn chasing skating gold in first Olympics