Two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has taken barely an hour to emphatically launch her season in Brisbane.
The Brisbane International runner-up in her last visit was ruthless in a 6-4 6-0 drubbing of Mexico's Renata Zarazua on Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday.
After a first-round bye, the Belarus talent took just 63 minutes to reach the third round with form that shows a three-peat in Melbourne Park next month was firmly on the radar.
"First match always a tricky one to see where your tennis is at," the world No.1 said post-match.
"I'm glad I closed that first set and in the second it felt like whatever I would do would work."
Sabalenka would be the sixth woman to win three-straight Australian Open titles should she salute again at Melbourne Park.
But she brushed such sentiments aside.
“You’re saying that like it's already in the history that, 'Okay, she's going to win it'," she said.
“I'm super happy to be back in Australia. It's really feels like home, and I love the atmosphere.
“It's great to start the season playing the tournament before the big one.
"So I really hope I can do well here, and then can come back really strong in Melbourne."
She'll play 15th-seeded Yulia Putintseva in the third round, the
Kazakhstani beating American Kessler McCartney 6-2 7-5 also on Tuesday.
Earlier, fourth seed Paula Badosa was a casualty, outpointed by Armenia's Elina Avanesyan 6-3 1-6 6-2.
She'll play former world No.2 Ons Jabeur, whose 6-3 6-2 defeat of Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final match of the night was her first top-30 scalp since June.
Eighth seed Mirra Andreeva beat Anna Blinkova 6-4 6-4 and Ashlyn Krueger upset sixth seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-3.
