- Aryna Sabalenka beat French wild card Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4, 6-1 in Round 1 at the 2026 Australian Open.
- Sabalenka debuted pieces from a new jewelry collaboration with Material Good—her necklace echoed her signature evil-eye charm.
- Roger Federer and Rod Laver watched courtside; Sabalenka asked the legends for selfies after the match.
- Top seed says the first match was tricky but she found rhythm by coming to the net often and staying aggressive.
Sabalenka credits new jewelry and focus for straight-sets win
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka moved through a tense opening at the 2026 Australian Open, beating French wild card Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4, 6-1. She arrived in the press room shortly after the match, still wearing pieces from her new collaboration with boutique jeweler Material Good.
Material Good partnership and on-court talisman
Sabalenka said she met the Material Good team last year in New York and quickly connected with their creative approach. The necklace she wore appeared to pay homage to the evil-eye piece she often wears during matches, a charm she credited with helping her through a slow start against Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
“I’m super excited about this partnership,” Sabalenka said. “They give me space to design things, to be creative, to be unique. They understand me really well.”
Early match nerves against an unknown opponent
Sabalenka admitted the opening was tricky because she had little scouting material on Rakotomanga Rajaonah. “First of all, it’s the first match, right? You’re always kind of trying to figure out where you are,” she said, noting she struggled initially to find the rhythm against a player she hadn’t faced before.
She adjusted, came to the net 22 times, and closed the match in straight sets, saying she was “happy that I could manage and I could get this win in straight sets.”
Federer and Rod Laver courtside: a little extra pressure
The match carried extra weight with Roger Federer and Rod Laver sitting in the front row of the stadium named after the Australian great. Sabalenka called herself a “huge fan” and confessed she had to keep reminding herself not to look at the legends while playing.
After the match she asked Federer and Laver for selfies. She joked about trying to impress Federer with bold all-court play—attempting a tweener she didn’t pull off this time—with a laugh: “Next time…”
What’s next for Sabalenka?
Sabalenka will return to court for a second-round match against either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Bai Zhouxuan. The top seed will look to sharpen her first-match timing and carry confidence from both the victory and her new off-court partnership.
Despite the brief opening jitters, Sabalenka’s blend of aggression, creativity off court, and a stadium full of tennis royalty made for one of the more talked-about early matches at this year’s Australian Open.
Image Referance: https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/aryna-sabalenka-talks-jewelry-collab-selfies-with-rod-laver-roger-federer-at-australian-open