Tennis-Sabalenka puts down teen challenge to reach quarter-finals

By Nick Mulvenney

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World number one Aryna Sabalenka brushed aside teenager Mirra Andreeva 6-1 6-2 to romp into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday and remain on course for a third straight title.

Andreeva, the 14th seed, was simply unable to get going in the fourth-round clash on Rod Laver Arena as Sabalenka raised her level a couple of notches to extend her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 18 matches.

Sabalenka, who was stunned in three sets by Andreeva in the quarter-finals of last year’s French Open, ramped up her serve at any hint of a threat from the 17-year-old and wrapped up the victory in just over an hour with an unreturnable serve.

“Always tough matches against Andreeva, she’s so young but playing such great tennis,” the 26-year-old said on court.

“I’m super happy to get through this difficult match in straight sets.”

Sabalenka will next face Donna Vekic or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who meet later on Sunday, in her 11th quarter-final in her last 13 Grand Slam campaigns.

The Belarusian had struggled with her serve in her third-round contest and said she was much happier playing in the hotter temperatures on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.

“I’m super happy with my level today and I hope the conditions stay the same for the rest of the tournament,” she added.

Neither player lost a point on their serve for the first three games but four straight forehand errors from Andreeva handed Sabalenka a break for 3-1.

The top seed never looked back from there, wrapping up the first set in 25 minutes and breaking again for 2-1 in the second on the back of a couple of double faults from Andreeva.

It was not all power from Sabalenka, who summoned up a couple of subtle drop shots as evidence of the wider repertoire she has been trying to add to her game.

Andreeva managed to put some pressure on Sabalenka’s serve at 3-2 down but an ace and a drop shot helped the U.S. Open champion see off the only three break points she would face in the contest.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)

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