Late fight not enough: Aryna Sabalenka holds off Mboko to book Australian Open quarterfinal spot

Aryna Sabalenka claimed a trouble-free victory over Victoria Mboko in the fourth round of the Australian Open and returned to the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the fourth consecutive year. The world No. 1 defeated the teenager with a comfortable 6-1, 7-6(1) scoreline and now awaits the winner of the match between Iva Jovic and Yulia Putintseva.

The 19-year-old Canadian appeared to be a potentially tricky challenge for Sabalenka, especially considering the high level of confidence Mboko had been carrying into the match. However, the Belarusian built a very large advantage that Mboko could not overturn, and despite the Canadian recovering from a double break down and three match points in the second set, Sabalenka sealed a victory that became complicated in the closing minu

With this result, Sabalenka continues to demonstrate her remarkable consistency at Grand Slam tournaments and has now reached the quarterfinals or better in 13 consecutive main-draw appearances at majors. The last time she failed to reach the last eight was back at Roland Garros 2022.

Sabalenka was the first to step up to serve and immediately found herself in trouble, facing two break points at the very start of the match. Mboko was unable to convert them, and both players held their opening service games respectively.

However, by the third game, Sabalenka began to take full control of the match, playing deep and heavy balls that overwhelmed Mboko. The teenager struggled with the precision and weight of her opponent’s shots, as Sabalenka comfortably held her service games and capitalised on 2/2 break points to take full command of the opening set.

The Belarusian wrapped up the set 6-1 in just 32 minutes. Sabalenka won five games in a row, hitting 15 winners compared to just six from Mboko, while committing only four unforced errors against her opponent’s eight.

The advantage was clear for a dominant Sabalenka throughout the first set, having won more than 80% of the points on her first serve. The second set followed a similar pattern, as Sabalenka extended her run of games: an early break and a solid service hold quickly gave her a 2-0 lead just minutes after the set began.

Mboko continued to struggle on serve, failing to reach 50% effectiveness on either her first or second delivery. Sabalenka, aggressive from the baseline, clearly overpowered the teenage Canadian. A second break soon followed, pushing Sabalenka ahead 4-1 with a double-break advantage and bringing her closer than ever to victory.

However, Mboko still showed fighting spirit and managed to recover one of the breaks in the following game, taking advantage of a couple of unforced errors from Sabalenka and producing some strong backhands — the shot that proved most effective for the Canadian on the day. Mboko applied pressure and closed the gap to 4-3, though Sabalenka still held a break advantage.

Sabalenka went up 5–3 and then, at 5–4, had as many as three match points on her serve, but Mboko kept fighting to take everything to the tiebreak. However, Sabalenka raised her level in the tiebreak and closed out a victory that lasted longer than expected, 6–1, 7–6(1).

Sabalenka’s victory once again guarantees her a place among the final eight at a Grand Slam tournament — and for the fourth consecutive year at the Australian Open. Since the 2022 French Open, Sabalenka has reached at least the quarterfinals at every major she has played.

In two days’ time, she will look to take another step forward toward the semifinals. She is still waiting to find out who her next opponent will be, with her quarterfinal rival set to emerge from the clash between the rejuvenated Yulia Putintseva and another teenage sensation, 18-year-old Iva Jovic.