Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Paula Badosa reach quarterfinals | Tennis news

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka raced into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff came from a set down to beat Belinda Bencic.

Sabalenka had been pressured in her previous two matches by Jessica Buzas Maneiro and Clara Towson, but was ruthless against 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.

Teenager Andreeva upset Sabalenka at the French Open last summer but lasted just 62 minutes on Rod Laver Arena as the top seed was given similar treatment to Emma Raducanu by Iga Swiatek on Saturday.

After her 6-1 6-2 win, Sabalenka said: “I’m very happy to get this win. Mirra is so young, so mature, such a great player. She can play really great tennis.”

Sabalenka, who is looking to become the first woman to win three singles titles in a row since Martina Hingis in the late 1990s, extended her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 18 matches.

He will then get the 17th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkovawho reached the quarter-finals here for the fourth time with a 7-6 (7-0) 6-0 win over Donna Vekic.

A blockbuster semi-final clash between Sabalenka and Gauff looks more likely after the American fought back to beat Bencic 5-7 6-2 6-1.

The Swiss, a former top-10 star and Olympic gold medalist, recently returned to the tour after the birth of his daughter Bella last April and played a good first set.

But Gauff, who had won all her previous matches this year in straight sets, took control early in the second and eventually cruised to victory in sweltering conditions at Rod Laver Arena.

“I thought in the first set she played great tennis, it was difficult for me to be on the attack,” said the 20-year-old.

“I just played more aggressively in the second set and the third set. Overall I’m happy with how I played. I could have won the first set and I just tried to bounce back.

“We worked hard in the offseason. Obviously there’s a lot to do to reach my goals.”

Gauff mourned the loss of the TikTok app back home, writing on a TV lens “RIP TikTok USA” and drew a broken heart immediately after winning her match.

Gauff will next meet the 11th seed Pola Bandosa after the Spaniard ended unbeaten Serb Olga Danilovic’s run 6-1 7-6 (7-2) to reach the last eight here for the first time.

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