Aryna Sabalenka continued her solid play at the 2024 Roland Garros by beating Moyuka Uchijima in straight sets for a place in the third round.
The second seed has been playing an incredible clay season so far, and the only reason she's not considered the favorite to win in Paris is that Iga Swiatek was better. The Polish player bested Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final and in the Italian Open final after that, which was obviously enough to give her favorite status.
The Pole's track record of winning this event three times, including last year, contributed to that. Even so, Sabaelnka is a very serious contender, and her performances continue to show that.
This wasn't her best showing outside of a few spotty moments, but even so, she was very overwhelming for the Japanese player, who is not a bad player, coming into the match on a 19-match winning streak from the lower-tier WTA events.
She is a player who came to Paris in great form and enjoys playing on clay, but it didn't matter much. She was decent opposition in the first two games, but after that, Sabalenka simply took over.
The recipe was pretty familiar: dominating for the baseline. She didn't serve well at all, and still, Uchijima didn't manage to apply any kind of pressure. The moment Sabalenka got her racket on the ball, she was ahead in the rally, and the Japanese player could not shift momentum to her favour.
6-2 was the score in the first set, and it was equally impressive in the second set. Beyond the result, the ease with which Sabalenka was winning points was notable.
Her forehand was amazing, her backhand was really good, she had lobs and volleys, and it was just a total package, including a few drop shots. The final score was 6-2, 6-2 for the Belarusian, who finished with 20 winners.
Aryna Sabalenka v Moyuka Uchijima Match Stats:
| Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 6-2 | Moyuka Uchijima |
| 2 | Aces | 4 |
| 0 | Double Faults | 3 |
| 62% | First Serve % | 74% |
| 76% (22/29) | Points Won After First Serve % | 54% (21/39) |
| 72% (13/18) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 36% (5/14) |
| 57% (4/7) | Break Point Conversion | 0% (0/4) |
| 27 | Winners | 10 |
| 18 | Unforced Errors | 12 |
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