Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka is defending her Australian Open Grand Slam title this year. She played her first match against Sloane Stephens and won 6-3, 6-2 in two straight sets. She will next play against Bouzas Maneiro on January 15.

The play was halted in many stadiums without roofs due to a heavy storm in Melbourne. The only few stadiums with roofs are Rod Laver, Margaret Court, and John-Cain, where the match happened uninterrupted. Sabalenka and Stephens played in the Rod Laver Arena.

The reigning Australian Open Grand Slam winner is the fan favourite, and she is very popular. Starting with some wobble on the first set, Sabalenkla steadied herself and dominated her contestant. The Belarusian won the match against the 2017 US Open Grand Slam Champion in 71 minutes. 

After the match, Aryna said, “Always a tough match against her. I didn't play my best, probably, but I’m glad I was able to close the match in two sets.” Sabalenka’s biggest rivals, Zheng Qinwen, Paula Badosa, and Donna Vekic, all won their first-round matches at the Australian Open.

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Aryna Dances in the Arena

Aryna Sabalenka dancing for Australian Open crowd after winning her 1st round against Sloane Stephens

“Now they have proof that I’m the worst dancer” 😂

Give this woman a spotlight and she will shine

pic.twitter.com/L5JyfrwcXs

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 12, 2025

The interesting part was Aryna Sabalenka’s dance moves after the match. The two-time grand slam winner is also a nice dancer, as she showed her talent many times in her Instagram posts. Even in last year's Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, she danced with the Alpine F1 team mechanics, which went viral on the internet.

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The media anchor asked Aryna to show some dance moves, and the Belarusian was very glad to lift the crowd to their feet with some amazing, electrifying dance moves. Aryna felt very nervous dancing before the crowd rather than playing before them. After dancing, she said, “Now they have proof that I’m the worst dancer” and laughed.

Aryna Sabalenka is seen as one of the modern greats in tennis. She has the best serve, power, and endurance compared with many of her rivals. 2024 was the most successful year for her, as she won 2 grand slams and became the No. 1 seed. She will try to win all four Grand Slams in 2025 and defend her No. 1 rank.

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