Aryna Sabalenka made light work of Renata Zarazua in her first match since the US Open final against Elena Rybakina. The Belarusian recorded a 6-1, 6-3 victory to start her China Open campaign on a high. It hasn’t been a great year for Sabalenka so far, as she hasn’t won a Grand Slam title. This has resulted in her struggling to control her frustration on the court and being self-critical. She believes that this kind of attitude has both pros and cons.

“I think this is a good and a bad side of my personality, that I always ask and wait for more from myself,” she said during a press conference at the China Open. “Sometimes it can drive me forward, but sometimes it can really drain my energy. Maybe this is something I have to finally learn. I’m really trying so hard sometimes to be easier on myself.”

It is evident that Sabalenka isn’t satisfied with her performance this season. While she is known to always be hard on herself, the lack of success has only frustrated her even more and has drained her energy. The US Open in particular proved to be a big disappointment for Sabalenka. Not only did she lose the final, but Rybakina also dethroned her in the rankings.

But Sabalenka bounced back from that defeat and defeated Zarazua in just 63 minutes. The Mexican never really stood a chance against the World No. 2, as she wasn’t able to gain any break of serve during the match. On the other hand, Sabalenka fired 11 aces and converted four of the eight break points she created. It was a dominant performance, to say the least.

Sabalenka will be taking on Nikola Bartunkova in the next round, who came close to upsetting her at the Berlin Open earlier in June. The match was a pretty close affair and saw Sabalenka make a remarkable comeback to win 2-6, 7-6, 6-4. Bartunkova was equally impressive in her first-round clash at the China Open. She racked up a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 victory over Magdalena Frech. It will be interesting to see whether she will be able to pose a challenge to Sabalenka again.

Coming back, the victory over Zarazua saw Sabalenka join an elite list. The Belarusian has a phenomenal record in Masters 1000 events, winning a total of 11 titles and having a win-loss record of 154-54. She has now matched Kim Clijsters’ win rate in the Masters 1000 events.

Aryna Sabalenka joins a list of legends after her victory at the China Open

Sabalenka currently has a win rate of 74.3% in Masters 1000 events, the same as Clijsters. The two are now ranked fifth on the all-time list of WTA players with the highest win percentages in Masters 1000 tournaments.

The four women who rank above them are Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Iga Swiatek, and Ashleigh Barty. The list only considers players who have featured in at least 10 matches at the premium level.

Two of the three titles Sabalenka has won this year were Masters 1000 events. This includes the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open. Though she was expected to win even more titles in the Masters 1000 events that followed, the World No. 2 failed to make even a deep run in any of the tournaments.

For context, she was knocked out by Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open. This was followed by a shocking Round of 32 exit at the Italian Open against Sorana Cirstea. The Canadian Open was also a disappointment for Sabalenka, as she was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Things didn’t get better for Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Masters either, as Sara Bejlek upset her 7-6, 6-4. With only two Masters 1000 events remaining on the WTA calendar this season, the Belarusian would want to finish on a high and be full of confidence while heading into the WTA Finals.