Simply unstoppable 🔥 @SabalenkaA chalks up the first 6-0 6-0 W of #AO2024.
Aryna Sabalenka (No. 2) cruised past the 28th seed Lesia Tsurenko in a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory, continuing her outstanding form to reach the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open. Sabalenka joins the ranks of tennis players who achieved a double bagel at Grand Slam events, including Margaret Court, Suzanne Lenglen, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf.
The Belarusian has barely dropped games on her way to the second week in Melbourne. She first secured a convincing win over Ella Seidel (6-0, 6-1) and then over the 16-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova (6-3, 6-2). Her opponent in this round was the 34-year-old Ukrainian Tsurenko, who never managed to compete with Sabalenka's power throughout the match. In the first game, Tsurenko had a single break point, but Sabalenka quickly rescued it with her serve.
Sabalenka won all six games of the set in just 25 minutes, displaying a superb level in both her serve and return, capitalizing on the Ukrainian's deficiencies, who only won five points with her serve. The Belarusian took control in every aspect of the game against a distracted Tsurenko.
The Ukrainian saw no improvement in the second set, and the dynamics remained the same as Sabalenka continued to dominate with power. Sabalenka maintained a good rhythm and confidence, asserting her favoritism and easily handling a match that seemed more like a training session.
Sabalenka didn't need to bring out her best level to win without dropping a single game in just 55 minutes. Nonetheless, she minimized unforced errors to 8 and produced 16 winners throughout the match, compared to Tsurenko's mere 7 winners and 15 unforced errors.
The defending champion secured her 10th consecutive victory at the first Grand Slam of the year, sending a clear signal to the rest of her competitors about the high level of her game. In the fourth round, she will face the resurgent Amanda Anisimova, who returned to the tour after 9 months and defeated Paula Badosa in the third round with a score of 6-4, 7-5.
14 Suzanne Lenglen (FRA)
Margaret Court (AUS)
13 Chris Evert (USA)
10 Helen Wills-Moody (USA)
7 Steffi Graf (GER)
6 Kim Clijsters (BEL)
Mary Pierce (FRA)
5 Monica Seles (YUG)
Conchita Martínez (SPA)
Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Simply unstoppable 🔥 @SabalenkaA chalks up the first 6-0 6-0 W of #AO2024.