Melbourne, Jan 19 World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka sailed into her third straight Australian Open quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Mirra Andreeva on Sunday.
The win was Sabalenka's 18th consecutive victory at the Australian Open. A winning streak at Melbourne Park has tied Victoria Azarenka for the longest at the Australian Open this decade. She is attempting to win her third consecutive Australian Open title.
Two-time defending champion Sabalenka, who lost to Andreeva in their only prior meeting at a major -- Roland Garros last year -- broke the 17-year-old's serve four times and never lost her own en route to improving to 4-1 in the head-to-head overall.
Taking advantage of quick conditions inside Rod Laver Arena in the midday sunshine, Sabalenka hit 15 winners to 11 unforced errors, and also served three aces, according to WTA.
It's always tough matches against Mirra; she's so young but so mature and playing such great tennis. I'm super happy to get through this difficult match in straight sets. Today, I came out on the court and I was trying to put the ball back and the ball was flying like a rocket.
"I was super happy with the level today, and I hope conditions help me and I hope it's going to be the same until the end of the tournament," Sabalenka said post-match.
Since 2020, Sabalenka has now reached the quarterfinals or better at 11 of the 15 Grand Slam tournaments that she's played in, including nine in a row.
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