MELBOURNE (Australia): World number one Aryna Sabalenka swept into the Australian Open quarter-finals on Sunday and was joined by Coco Gauff.
Double defending champion Sabalenka blew away Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 in a ruthless display on the hottest day of the tournament so far.
“When you struggle with your game and you had to overcome a lot of things and you still win a match, it gives you so much confidence going into the next one,” the Belarusian told reporters.
Meanwhile, as temperatures hit 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) in Melbourne, Gauff dropped a set for the first time this season but fought back to beat Belinda Bencic 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
“I thought in the first set she played great tennis and it was tough for me to be on the offensive,” Gauff said after outlasting Bencic.
Sabalenka and Gauff will meet in the semi-finals should they win their respective matches in the last eight. – AFP
