Aryna Sabalenka leaned on her outstanding tie-break record to withstand a phenomenal second-set comeback from Canadian 17th seed Victoria Mboko, sealing a place in the quarter-finals with a 6–1 7–6(1) victory.
The Belarusian top seed, a former two-time champion in Melbourne, looked to be cruising into the last eight when she moved a set and a double break ahead, but Mboko somehow battled back to level the match, saving three match points along the way.
Sabalenka could scarcely believe the situation she found herself in, but when the decider went to a tie-break, history was on her side. She shut down the Canadian teenager’s comeback to claim a record-breaking 20th consecutive tie-break victory, moving clear of the mark she had previously shared with Novak Djokovic.
The opening set was all about Sabalenka, who bullied a nervous Mboko around the court, at times appearing to have her opponent on a string. In a stunning display even by her own standards, Sabalenka surged to a 6–1 lead, firing fifteen winners while committing just four unforced errors.
The top seed picked up where she left off at the start of the second set, breaking twice more to move 4–1 ahead, with the contest looking all but over.
Mboko didn’t let her head drop though, and broke back in the sixth game to cut the deficit to two. The slight dip in her opponents level at that moment seemed to give the teenager the belief that had been missing earlier, when the top seed had been untouchable.
The next three games went to serve to see Sabalenka serve for the match. In a stunning tenth game, Sabalenka earned two match points with a hammer of a forehand winner. The Canadian saved both, the first with a forehand that painted the line, and the second when Sabalenka sent a backhand long.
Mboko missed two chances to break before Sabalenka earned her third match point, only for the top seed to scream in frustration as she sent a forehand long. The Canadian held her nerve, closing the game with a backhand winner to the joy of the crowd on Rod Laver Arena.
The deciding set moved into a tie-break and, perhaps unsurprisingly, that scenario appeared to steady Sabalenka. With her serve firing again, she gave Mboko no room to respond, racing to a 6–0 lead at the changeover before sealing victory two points later.
In her post-match press conference, Sabalenka reflected on her opponent and her own mentality, particularly during the turbulent second set.
“I’m super happy that I was able to close this match in straight sets. The second set was a bit tricky. But yeah, I’m happy with the level I played. Happy to be through.
“I knew she’s going to be fighting. I knew she’s going to be trying. She kind of like has nothing to lose. She showed incredible tennis in those moments when she broke my serve.
“But yeah, I was just focusing staying in the moment, playing point by point, trying to get this win.”
Sabalenka will face American 29th seed Iva Jović in the quarter-finals.
