Sabalenka roars into 13th straight quarterfinal after surviving Mboko’s late surge
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Victoria Mboko 6-1, 7-6 (1) on Sunday night to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals. The world No 1 dominated early but had to survive three missed match points and a spirited comeback from the 19-year-old Canadian No 17 seed.
Aryna Sabalenka, Australian Open 2026 | © Imago / PsNewz
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Victoria Mboko 6-1, 7-6 (1) to continue her relentless march through the Melbourne draw, but the scoreline only tells half the story of a night that nearly took a dramatic turn.
The top-seeded Belarusian appeared to be cruising toward a routine victory under the lights of Rod Laver Arena, leading 6-1, 4-1 in under 45 minutes. However, the world No 1 was forced to dig deep into her mental reserves after failing to convert three match points at 5-4 on her own serve, eventually needing a trademark tiebreak masterclass to seal her spot in the final eight.
Sabalenka : “Tricky”
“The tricky thing about playing the first match – don’t get me wrong I like to play the first match –, but the tricky part, at some point the sun goes right into your serve point, Sabalenka said. It’s tricky. It’s not easy. You can break the serve. That’s what actually happened. Two breaks that she got, it was on the side when I was facing the sun. Yeah, I didn’t deal that good with the serve. She done incredible job serving on that side.”
“I knew she’s going to be fighting, Sabalenka added. 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.”
Tiebreak Queen Extends Historic Slam Streak
The victory marks a staggering 13th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal for Sabalenka, a feat of consistency rarely seen in the modern era. Central to this success has been her utter dominance in high-pressure moments; the 27-year-old has now won 20 consecutive tiebreaks at the Grand Slam level.
When asked about her untouchable record in breakers, Sabalenka quipped, “Now because you guys keep talking about that I feel like you’re putting pressure on my opponent. That’s what I like about playing tiebreaks nowadays.”
That confidence was on full display after her second-set wobbles. Despite being “much more challenged” after the Canadian teenager recovered from a double-break deficit to force a tiebreak, Sabalenka executed a perfect mental reset. She improved her 2026 season record to 9-0 and her recent Australian Open record to an intimidating 24-1 over the last three years. The Belarusian simply found an extra gear when it mattered most, reeling off seven of the eight points in the tiebreak to extinguish any hope of a deciding set.
Mboko’s Grit and the New Generation of Talent
While Sabalenka moves on, the night belonged in part to 19-year-old Victoria Mboko. The No 17 seed, appearing with heavy taping on her right leg, showed exactly why she is considered one of the new leaders in women’s tennis.
After a tentative first set where she was “cruising” toward a loss, the teenager started “playing lights out,” breaking the world No 1 twice in the second set and saving three match points with fearless hitting. Her path to the fourth round—including a marathon win over No 14 seed Clara Tauson—proved she belongs at the top of the WTA rankings.
Sabalenka was quick to praise her opponent’s resilience in the post-match ceremony: “What an incredible player for such a young age. 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 still but whatever. Incredible player. Pushed me really hard today. Super happy with the win. Once again in straight sets. She played incredible tennis. She pushed me so much. Happy to be through.”
The top seed now prepares for a quarterfinal clash against the winner of the match between Kazakh veteran Yulia Putintseva and the 17-year-old American No 29 seed Iva Jovic.
