Top-seed Aryna Sabalenka has won her opening match at the German Open, a traditional Berlin warm-up tournament for Wimbledon.
The world number two beat veteran Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 to make it through to the last 16 ahead of next month’s grand slam at the All England Club in London.
The reigning Australian Open winner, who has lost just six matches this season, called her 38-year-old opponent, who played her first match at the Berlin tournament in 2003, a “legend.”
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“Probably one day I’ll also be a legend here, losing to someone here and you’ll remind me that I won my first match here when the girl was five years old,” Sabalenka said on court after the match.
Earlier on Tuesday, Elena Rybakina won her opening match in straight sets as she warms up for her Wimbledon title defence in July.
The Kazakh world number three beat Polina Kudermetova 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the last 16.
After winning the first game, Rybakina had to wait three hours as a thunderstorm swept across the German capital before play could resume.
An Australian Open finalist in January, the 24-year-old was one of the favourites for the French Open but pulled out early due to illness.
The WTA tournament in Berlin, taking place just two weeks before the start of Wimbledon, is a star-studded event, with nine of the top ten-ranked women in the world participating.
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