Elena Rybakina Cruises Past Emerson Jones in 53 Minutes

Elena Rybakina cruised into the second round of the Australian Open with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over Australian teenager Emerson Jones. The Kazakh, who was the 2023 runner-up in Melbourne, took just 53 minutes to secure the win. Rybakina fired 11 aces and struck 26 winners in the match with her only moment of difficulty coming while serving for the first set. After giving Jones three break points due to unforced errors, Rybakina responded with four consecutive aces and sealed the set with a forehand winner.

When asked about the possibility of challenging her coach, Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, to a serve contest, Elena Rybakina jokingly said, “Maybe I need to challenge him on the practice court.” The 2022 Wimbledon champion will next face American wildcard Iva Jovic. This marks Rybakina’s first Grand Slam under the guidance of Ivanisevic, who previously coached Novak Djokovic.

The change comes amid the provisional suspension of Rybakina’s former coach, Stefano Vukov, who is under investigation by the WTA. Rybakina has denied making complaints about Vukov and he has denied any wrongdoing. Elsewhere, Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, who reached the French Open and Wimbledon finals in 2024, began her bid for a maiden Grand Slam with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Wei Sijia.

American eighth seed Emma Navarro fought back from a set down to defeat Peyton Stearns 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5. Russian ninth seed Daria Kasatkina also advanced, winning 6-1, 6-3 against Viktoriya Tomova while Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur eased past Anhelina Kalinina with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.