BRISBANE, Australia, Jan 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin opened her 2026 season with a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriele Ruse in the Brisbane International on Sunday. Kenin, who won the Australian Open as a 21-year-old in 2020, recovered from a second-set lapse to outlast Ruse and set up a second-round clash against seventh seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. But I trusted the pre-season I had and I felt like I was playing good tennis," said the 27-year-old American. Australian wildcard Ajla Tomljanovic eased into the second round with a 6-1, 6-3 win over France's Elsa Jacquemot and will now play 11th seed Karolina Muchova. In the men's draw, American Francis Tiafoe was too strong for Australian wildcard Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 6-2.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 04, 2026 09:02 UTC