Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka reaches the third round at the Australian Open

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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka defeated a tenacious Bai Zhouxuan of China 6-3, 6-1 Wednesday to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

Sabalenka raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set but then needed seven set points at Rod Laver Arena to take the set against the defensive-minded Chinese player, who used clever drop shots to help her stay in the match.

“I was happy to get this win, a tricky opponent,” Sabalenka said. "She really stepped in in the first set.”

Sabalenka led 4-0 in the second set and overpowered the smaller Bai. Sabalenka even tried a bit of serve-and-volley in the match, trying to diversify her game.

“You saw serve-and-volley today," Sabalenka said. “It didn’t really work well, but I did one.”

Sabalenka won the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open titles but was the runner-up a year ago to Madison Keys. Sabalenka is after her fifth Grand Slam singles title, having also won the U.S. Open twice.

Bai was making her second appearance in the Australian Open and reached the second round for the first time.

In another women's match, 12th-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine defeated Linda Klimovicova of Poland 7-5, 6-1. Gael Monfils, a popular 39-year-old Frenchman and Svitolina's husband, said goodbye at Melbourne Park in his retirement year, losing on Tuesday in a first-round match to qualifier Dane Sweeny.

In another women's match, qualifier Zeynep Sönmez of Turkey, who was highly praised during her first-round match Sunday for assisting an ill ballkid, advanced to the third round after beating Anna Bondar 6-2, 6-4.

Sönmez played at one of Melbourne Park's outside courts and the stands were crammed with members of Melbourne's Turkish community.

“I really appreciated there were many Turkish people, and I felt like I was at home,” she said. “At first I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts. It was very, very loud.”

In early men's results, 18th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo beat Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 and 19th-seeded Tommy Paul defeated Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

In later matches, No. 1 seeded Carlos Alcaraz faced Yannick Hanfmann, and No. 3 Coco Gauff was set to play Olga Danilovic.

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