(Video) Aliaksandra Sasnovich Goes Viral With an Unorthodox Service Motion During Australian Open Encounter Against Jasmine Paolini

Aliaksandra Sasnovich faced a crushing 6-1, 6-2 defeat to seventh seed Jasmine Paolini in the first round of the Australian Open.

(Video) Aliaksandra Sasnovich Goes Viral With an Unorthodox Service Motion During Australian Open Encounter Against Jasmine Paolini

Jasmine Paolini, Aliaksandra Sasnovich (images via Australian Open)

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Qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich left tennis fans in splits with her highly unusual serve at the first round of the Australian Open. It seemed to be a combination of squatting and lunging followed by a jump as she tried to land her serve.

The Belarusian faced a crushing 6-1, 6-2 defeat to seventh seed Jasmine Paolini in Melbourne. A video of Sasnovich serving can be seen here:

Paolini surged to a 5-0 lead in the first set, shortly winning it 6-1 in just 27 minutes. In the second set she built a 5-1 lead. She faced no break points in this set as she went on to seal it 6-2. Paolini hit 25 winners and three aces, while Sasnovich made 39 unforced errors and 4 double faults. This marked the pair’s second meeting, with Sasnovich having won their first meeting in 2020 at Palermo, Italy.

Tennis fans react to Aliaksandra Sasnovich’s serve at the Australian Open

Tennis fans have given various hilarious reactions to Aliaksandra Sasnovich‘s serve. Prior to facing Jasmine Paolini, Sasnovich defeated Ksenia Efremova, Kathinka von Deichmann, and Daria Snigur in the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open.

Sasnovich commenced her 2026 season with the Brisbane International, where she upset eighth seed Clara Tauson in straight sets in the round of 32. Sasnovich then fell to Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets in the next round.

Jasmine Paolini’s path ahead at the Australian Open

Jasmine Paolini will face Magdalena Frech in the second round of the Australian Open. Their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1. Paolini won their last meeting in straight sets at Cleveland in 2023. Frech defeated Veronika Erjavec in straight sets in her opening round match in Melbourne. The winner of Paolini and Frech’s upcoming match would meet either Iva Jovic or Priscilla Hon in the third round.

Jasmine Paolini Cincinnati Open 2025
Jasmine Paolini (Image via Instagram/Jasmine Paolini)

Paolini’s best result at the tournament came in 2024, when she reached the fourth round. The Italian has reached the finals of two singles Grand Slams in her career—2024 Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The Australian Open marks the second tournament of the season for Paolini, who commenced the year with the United Cup.

Paolini is also competing in doubles in Melbourne alongside compatriot Sara Errani. Last year, the duo clinched the Roland Garros and also won three WTA 1000 titles in Doha, Rome and Beijing. Seeded second at the Australian Open, Paolini and Errani will commence their doubles campaign against Maia Lumsden and Tang Qianhui.

The pair of Paolini and Errani are in contention for the WTA No. 1 doubles ranking. In order to have a chance at attaining the top ranking, Paolini and Errani must achieve a better result than defending champions Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.

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