4 hours ago
3
Australian Open 2025
Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne Park
Coverage: Live vigor commentary connected Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT connected BBC 5 Sports Extra, positive unrecorded substance commentaries connected the BBC Sport website and app
Top effect Aryna Sabalenka continued her bid for a 3rd consecutive Australian Open rubric with triumph implicit Denmark's Clara Tauson successful consecutive sets.
The 26-year-old Belarusian was made to enactment for her 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 triumph connected Rod Laver Arena but secured triumph successful 2 hours six minutes to advancement to the 4th round.
There were 11 breaks of service successful a lucifer of rapidly shifting momentum astatine Melbourne Park.
"That was a large battle," said Sabalenka.
"She played unbelievable tennis. It was truly pugnacious to play against her today.
"I'm conscionable ace blessed that I was capable to conscionable enactment successful the crippled and I was capable to propulsion myself, honestly, to the bounds to get this win."
Eight of the 11 breaks of service came successful the archetypal acceptable arsenic some players grappled for momentum, Tauson earning the archetypal work clasp of the lucifer successful the eighth game.
After Sabalenka broke backmost for a 4th time, Tauson, 22, saved 4 acceptable points to unit a tie-break but the satellite fig 1 yet took her accidental astatine the 5th accidental to seal the opening acceptable with a thunderous forehand.
The 2nd acceptable followed a akin signifier arsenic Sabalenka struggled to find a archetypal service but she yet broke successful the ninth game, the longest of the lucifer which featured 7 deuces, past served for the triumph to unafraid a 17th consecutive triumph successful Melbourne.
Despite 3 pugnacious matches, Sabalenka progresses to the 2nd week astatine Melbourne Park having not dropped a acceptable and with a 30th triumph successful 31 matches successful hard-court Slams since the commencement of 2023.
Sabalenka volition look Poland's Magdalena Frech oregon teenage 14th effect Mirra Andreeva successful the adjacent round.
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