Super Sabalenka!

Aryna Sabalenka celebrates her win over Moyuka Uchijima in Paris yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka and No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina navigated second-round hurdles in straight sets at the French Open at Stade Roland Garros on Thursday.

Sabalenka needed just 62 minutes to defeat qualifier Moyuka Uchijima 6-2, 6-2, and Rybakina came from 4-2 down in the second set to beat Arantxa Rus 6-3, 6-4 in 67 minutes. Sabalenka and Rybakina joined the top seed Iga Swiatek, Ons Jaberu, and Coco Gauff.

Japanese players in focus

The focus was on the match between Sabalenka and Uchijima. A day after Naomi Osaka, currently the fourth-highest ranked Japanese player, came within a point of taking out No. 1 seed Swiatek, it was Japanese No. 1 Uchijima's turn for the upset bid. The World No. 83 had come into the match on an eye-catching 19-match winning streak, having won three consecutive ITF titles across two surfaces and continents before successfully qualifying in Paris.

However, Sabalenka demonstrated that for all of Uchijima's form, the gulf between the levels the two players have been operating at was still significant. The two-time Australian Open champion captured the first break of the match for 3-2 with some booming returns, she did not relinquish control.

Up next, Paula Badosa

Sabalenka has now reached at least the third round of her past 14 Grand Slam appearances - her last loss before this stage came to Victoria Azarenka in the 2020 US Open second round. She will next face Paula Badosa in a battle of two former French Open quarterfinalists. Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 4-2, including the last four encounters in a row.

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