Aryna Sabalenka has one question she wants to ask Rafael Nadal after winning her first round match at the French Open

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Aryna Sabalenka has stormed into the second round of the French Open, having just beaten Kamilla Rakhimova.

Sabalenka clinched a 6-1, 6-0 victory in her first round match at the 2025 French Open, where she is the top seed.

The WTA number one entered the Grand Slam on the back of an Italian Open quarter-final exit, where she lost to Qinwen Zheng.

Zheng went on to lose her semi-final with Coco Gauff, who in turn lost the Italian Open final to Jasmine Paolini.

Gauff thinks Sabalenka is among the French Open favourites, with the duo currently ranked second and first respectively in the WTA rankings.

Aryna Sabalenka has a question for Rafael Nadal at the French Open

Sabalenka won her opener before 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal was honoured in Paris, having retired from tennis last year.

And she was asked about the Spaniard following her victory, with the Belarusian saying: “Whenever someone asks me about Rafa, I think of a really hard worker.

READ MORE: Aryna Sabalenka responds when asked what she expects from Iga Swiatek at the French Open

“He is such an inspiration to young players. I will try and stick around to watch the ceremony, and ask him, please do you have advice on how to win this tournament!”

The world number one also shared her love of the tournament in general, saying: “I’m super happy to be back in Paris, I love playing in front of all you guys.

“I hope I can do really good here. It’s hard in round one to play someone you really like, but I’m happy to have got the win.”

Aryna Sabalenka spotted doing something unusual in French Open first round win

Sabalenka has three Grand Slam titles to her name at the age of 27, with the WTA star having also lost three finals.

All five of those finals have arrived on hard courts, with the Belarusian winning the Australian Open twice and the US Open once.

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Another final was reached in Melbourne at the start of the year, but she lost out to American ace Madison Keys.

But confidence levels will now be high after such a commanding win, with Sabalenka beating Rakhimova in just one hour.

Sharing her take on the winner, former British player Anne Keothavong said on TNT Sports: “We saw her try more drop shots than she would usually do but that’s something she has incorporated in her game.

“We have seen a lot more of that during the clay court season, her trying to play more creatively. Most of them went her way.

“Some of them I think I would have got to but it’s good to see her trying these things and that’s where she should be doing it, on stage and in a match situation because you can practice these things all you like but until you get out there on the match court and feel a few of those nerves, I don’t think she will have too many complaints.”