Sabalenka makes a successful Beijing debut

Aryna Sabalenka is on a mission.

In sparkling form, the Belarusian arrived in China with a clear objective: to steal the world number one spot from Iga Swiatek.

To do so, she'll need to win the title and string together 6 victories in a row.

In any case, the first stage was successfully completed, as she easily eliminated the modest Mananchaya Sawangkaew, ranked 187th in the world (6-1, 6-4).

Without wasting much time on the court, she largely dominated proceedings, hitting the ball hard and taking her opponent by surprise.

For a place in the last 16, she will face Ashlyn Krueger (68th) in the next round.