Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka continue the defence of their Australian Open titles at the quarterfinal stage on Tuesday, and while the Serbian is coming into form at just the right time, Sabalenka has destroyed all before her.
Sabalenka has been in sensational form, dismissing opponents with apparent ease, and as the 25-year-old looks at the draw, she knows if she can reach the final again, she will be the overwhelming favourite to retain her title.
World number one Iga Swiatek is gone, as is last year’s beaten finalist Elena Rybakina, but Sabalenka has enough experience to not look beyond her clash with Barbora Krejcikova, and has been focussed and clinical in getting here.
Krejcikova has been taken to three sets in three of her four matches, while Sabalenka has barely broken a sweat.
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The number two seed has lost just 11 games in the previous four rounds while Krejcikova lost 11 in her last match, and the Czech ninth seed has been on the court over twice as long as Sabalenka.
Last year, Sabalenka dropped her first set in the final, and ominously, is looking even stronger this year.
“I think I feel stronger than last year,” Sabalenka said after she eased past Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round.
“So far I feel good. Hopefully I just can keep it up.”
It’s hard to see Krejcikova stopping Sabalenka as she steamrolls her way to a place in the final, and she has won just one of their six previous meetings.
Djokovic is peaking at just the right time as he now faces American Taylor Fritz and after labouring to victory in the earlier rounds, the fourth round saw him dismantle Adrian Mannarino, 6-0, 6-0, 6-3.
“The last two matches have been much better than the first two,” Djokovic said after the fourth round win.
“It’s not the first time that I have this kind of particular circumstances where I start off slower and then I build as the tournament goes on.”
Not good news for Fritz, as the 12th seed comes up against a player he has never beaten in their eight previous meetings, and the American can’t blame his opponent’s optimism.
“I mean, if I beat someone eight times in a row, I’d be pretty confident playing them, too, I’d have to say,” Fritz said.
“I think that I have a lot more level to bring than I’ve previously brought against him.”
Djokovic struggled with a wrist injury earlier this month, but he looks to have put that behind him, and it’s hard to see him being stopped in his 58th Grand Slam quarterfinal, as he goes after his 11th Australian Open title.
Fourth seed Jannik Sinner faces fifth seed Andrey Rublev where the winner will face Djokovic in the semifinal if he gets past Fritz.
In the women’s quarterfinal, American fourth seed Coco Gauff and unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk do battle for a semi-final place against either Sabalenka or Krejcikova.
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