MELBOURNE, Australia — High-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, in search of her third Australian Open title in 4 years, superior to the quarterfinals Sunday with a 6-1, 7-6 (1) win over No. 17 Victoria Mboko of Canada.
Sabalenka used a strong serve that produced three aces within the first set, rolling the 19-year-old Canadian in simply 31 minutes.
Sabalenka performed properly sufficient to defeat many gamers, however was much less dominant within the second set in opposition to Mboko, who fell in need of the two-time Australian Open champion, making a number of unforced errors.
“What a fantastic participant at such a younger age,” the 27-year-old Sabalenka mentioned in an on-court interview with Mboko. “It is unbelievable to see these youngsters go on tour. I am unable to imagine I am saying that. I really feel like a child myself.”
“She pushed me a lot that I’m glad I handed.”
Sabalenka led 4-1 within the second set after which led 5-4 earlier than changing three match factors. Mboko progressively regained momentum and compelled a tie-break, with Sabalenka gaining the higher hand.
Sabalenka has gained her twentieth straight tiebreak.
“I do not assume it is a tiebreaker and I attempt to play level by level. I feel that is the important thing to consistency,” she mentioned.
Sabalenka gained the Grand Slam in 2023 and 2024 and completed runner-up final yr in opposition to Madison Keys. The Belarusian has additionally gained the US Open twice.
In Sunday’s match at Rod Laver Area, No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain confronted No. 19 Tommy Paul of the USA for a spot within the quarterfinals.
Third-seeded males’s Alexander Zverev and third-seeded girls Coco Gauff then additionally performed for a spot within the quarterfinals.
