Despite a sluggish start, world number one Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her season with a straight-sets win over Renata Zarazua at the Brisbane International.

Having received a bye for the first round of the competition, the Belarusian rallied to a 6-4 6-0 victory in just 65 minutes on Tuesday.

Sabalenka was 3-0 up early in the first set but Zarazua won the next three games to pull level before Sabalenka got a valuable break at 5-4 to take the advantage.

She was in cruise control after that, rounding off the win with a second-set bagel to start her preparation for the Australian Open, where she is bidding to win a third consecutive title.

A winning start for the world No.1!@SabalenkaA sabalenka is off and running Down Under. She defeats Renata Zarazua 6-4 6-0.#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/CU1o6UgaY1
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) December 31, 2024

"The first match is always a tricky one," Sabalenka, who is starting the year as world number one for the first time in her career, said.

"It was a tricky start for me, but I'm glad that I closed it out in the first set, and in the second set, I felt like whatever I tried to do, it would work for me.

"So, I'm really happy for the first win of the season."

Sabalenka, who reached the final in Brisbane last year before losing to Elena Rybakina in the final, will face Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva in the next round.

Elsewhere, Ons Jabeur also booked a place in the next round with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova.