<p>The Belarusian, last ‌year's losing finalist, was made ‌to work hard for about an hour, ‌with the local hero delighting home ‌fans with several spectacular winners.</p><p><strong>"That was a very tough opponent. Tricky match. I'm happy that I closed it in straight sets," </strong>Sabalenka said.</p><p><strong>"She played really incredible tennis and forced me to step in and play on another level. I am happy I could handle it and win."</strong></p><p>The world ‌number one earned an early break with ​a powerful forehand to go 3-1 up but Jacquemot broke straight ​back.</p><p>On a day when the men's world number one Jannik Sinner crashed ⁠out in five ​sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Sabalenka had to dig deep in the first set against the world number 67.</p><p>She had ‌set point at 5-4 on Jacquemot's serve but the French player, who had the crowd on their feet at times, managed to match Sabalenka's power with superb precision and level.</p><p>The top seed kept her composure and won the first set on her third set ‌point, and she never looked back.</p><p>She ​grabbed a break at the start ‌of the second set and raced to a 3-0 lead, giving Jacquemot, who was quickly running out of steam, no chance of a ⁠comeback.</p><p><strong>"It's always challenging playing her,"</strong> the top seed said. <strong>"She's a fighter. She's putting all of the balls back. You have to really work for each point, especially on the clay court."</strong></p><p>A four-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka is still looking ‌to land her first French ⁠Open title. </p><p>She will next ⁠face Australia's ‌Daria Kasatkina.</p><p><strong>Click here for more on the match</strong></p>