Jasmine Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian Open

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. The seventh-seeded Italian outclassed Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena. READ: Alex Eala at Australian Open 2026 main draw: What to know Italian pocket rocket LAUNCHED