Aryna Sabalenka continued her quest for a third consecutive Australian Open title with a hard-fought straight-sets victory over Denmark’s Clara Tauson.
The 26-year-old Belarusian triumphed 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in a two-hour, six-minute battle on Rod Laver Arena to secure her place in the fourth round.
The match featured 11 service breaks, reflecting the rapidly shifting momentum. In the first set, eight breaks occurred as both players vied for control.
Tauson, 22, achieved the first service hold in the eighth game, but Sabalenka fought back to force a tie-break.
The second set unfolded in a similarly competitive fashion, with Sabalenka struggling to land her first serve.
She managed to break Tauson in the ninth game, a grueling contest with seven deuces, before serving out the match to extend her winning streak in Melbourne to 17 matches.
Despite facing stiff challenges in her opening matches, Sabalenka has yet to drop a set and has now recorded her 30th victory in 31 hard-court Slam matches since the start of 2023.
She will next face either Poland’s Magdalena Frech or teenage 14th seed Mirra Andreeva in the round of 16.
, 6-4 in a two-hour, six-minute battle on Rod Laver Arena to secure her place in the fourth round.){kind=link}