MELBOURNE, Australia — First-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, attempting to win her third Australian Open title in four years, reached the quarterfinals on Sunday with a victory over No. 17 Victoria Mboko of Canada 6-1, 7-6 (1).
Sabalenka, using a high-powered serve that produced three aces in the first set, rolled over the 19-year-old Canadian in just 31 minutes.
Sabalenka was not quite as dominant in the second set — producing a few more unforced errors — against Mboko, who played well enough to beat many players but not the two-time Australian Open champion.
''What an incredible player for such a young age,'' the 27-year-old Sabalenka said of the young Canadian. ''It's incredible to see these kids coming up on Tour. I can't believe I say that. I feel like I'm a kid.''
''She pushed me so much, and I'm happy to be through,'' Sabalenka added in her on-court interview.
Sabalenka led the second set 4-1, and then failed to convert three match points while leading 5-4. Mboko slowly took back the momentum and forced a tiebreaker only for Sabalenka to dominate.
It was the 20th straight tiebreak victory for Sabalenka.
''I try to — not to think this is a tiebreak and play point by point, and I guess that's the key to consistency,'' she said.
