Aryna Sabalenka has one change she wants made to the new facilities at the Cincinnati Open after winning her first match

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Aryna Sabalenka has picked up from where she left off at last year’s Cincinnati Open by winning her first match this year.

Sabalenka won the 2024 Cincinnati Open title, defeating home favourite Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-5 in the final.

And the WTA number one is off to a strong start at this season’s competition, winning her opener against Marketa Vondrousova.

The Belarusian star, who is the top seed at the WTA 1000 tournament, won their second round meeting 7-5, 6-1.

Sabalenka lamented the ‘intense’ schedule ahead of her first match at the Cincinnati Open, having last played at Wimbledon this time last month.

Aryna Sabalenka wants Cincinnati Open change after winning first match

The latest tournament in the calendar is all change for 2025, having undergone a major renovation, which Sabalenka was asked about after her win.

She said on court: “Oh my god, the first moment I came here, I was like, where am I? It’s like a completely different tournament.

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“It’s an impressive job done. And just wow. Everything is so confusing. Little by little, I’m getting used to it.

“The only one request we need to make sure that the dining room is a bit bigger, because it’s so many people and just so little tables.

“Please, next year, make sure it’s more space in the dining room, everyone likes to eat, everyone likes to spend time there, so please, we need a bigger room. But other than that like oh my gosh, it’s even more enjoyable to be here.”

Aryna Sabalenka vs Emma Raducanu head-to-head before Cincinnati Open match

It was a tongue-in-cheek response from the world number one, who was in high spirits after her opening win.

But Sabalenka’s serious face is set to return very soon given her next test, which involves taking on British number one Raducanu.

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The Briton is the 30th seed at the Cincinnati Open, and is into the round of 32 after beating Olga Danilovic 6-3, 6-2.

Raducanu is with new coach Francisco Roig at the tournament, which is serving as a warm-up for the US Open.

She famously won the Grand Slam in 2021, while her next opponent Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion.

And it is the Belarusian who has history on her side with Raducanu, having won both of their previous WTA matches, including one at Wimbledon this year.