World number one Aryna Sabalenka continued her quest for a first title at the prestigious ATP and WTA Masters 1000 event, overcoming Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 7-6 (7/0), 6-4.
The Belarusian star
will next face 14th-ranked Czech Linda Noskova, who ended the impressive run of Australian qualifier Talia Gibson with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory.
Sabalenka’s match against Mboko was also a rematch of their Australian Open encounter. Sabalenka noted that the 19-year-old Canadian had significantly improved since their fourth-round match in Melbourne. Despite this, Sabalenka’s power and precision ultimately prevailed.
“It was a tough battle today,” Sabalenka said following the victory.
“I’m super happy with my performance and the level I played at during key moments in each set,” the Belarussian added.
“I think she was serving much better than in our match in Australia. She was definitely more confident and played more bravely.”
Mboko acknowledged the difficulty of playing against the world number one but recognised areas for improvement.
“It’s never easy to play the world number one,” she said.
“I had a lot of chances in the first set, but she played really well, especially under pressure. I have to give her credit for that,” the Canadian star said.
