Bertens beats Sabalenka in first round Roland Garros

Kiki Bertens convincingly won the match against Aryna Sabalenka in the first round at Roland Garros. The world’s number 22 defeated the Belarusian with 6-2 6-1.

Bertens looked fresh and eager on court 7. The player from Wateringen started the first set with a break and, at 4-2, she forced another break to finish the first set within half an hour.

In the second set Bertens continued her good and positive play. The semi-finalist of 2016 quickly advanced with a double break, which was enough to win the match on her fourth match point.

‘This is a good start. Sabalenka is a difficult opponent, she hits very hard. I knew beforehand that it was not going to be easy. I had to accept that and had to look for solutions. I did that very well today. I am happy about the way I played.’

Bertens, seeded 18^th, will play another Belrusian in the second round. Aliaksandra Sasnovich from Minsk defeated Czech Denisa Allertova with 6-4 6-3.