Sabalenka eases past Alexandrova to make strong start in Berlin

Aryna Sabalenka made a winning start to her grass-court swing, with a comfortable straight-sets win over Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach the Berlin Open quarter-finals.

Having seen her French Open campaign end in the quarter-final, Sabalenka bounced back with a 6-4 6-4 victory in 82 minutes.

Alexandrova had to fend off two break points in the opening game and match Sabalenka well in the opening stages, but the world number one soon gained control.

A three-game winning streak, in which she did not drop a point, saw Sabalenka take the first set, while another break got her off the mark in the second.

Alexandrova hit straight back to get on level terms once more, but Sabalenka reeled off three straight games again as she regained her rhythm.

The Russian held off the inevitable, defending two break and match points to claw back to 5-4, but Sabalenka clinched the match with a love-hold to reach the next round.

Sabalenka looking to end grass-court struggles

Sabalenka is known for her hard-court prowess, with both of her major titles coming on the surface, but she is looking to improve on the other two.

After a shock defeat to Diana Shnaider in the Roland-Garros quarters, Sabalenka is looking to shake off that disappointment with a strong run at Wimbledon.

However, she has only ever made it through to two grass-court finals - at Eastbourne and Rosmalen - but has lost both of them, with the most recent coming back in 2022.

She lost the latter of those to Alexandrova in straight sets, but with this victory, the Belarusian has improved her record against the Russian to 5-4.