(Melbourne) World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka dismissed young Canadian Victoria Mboko (16^e at 19) 6-1, 7-6 (7/1) Sunday in 8^are final of the Australian Open where she will return to the quarter-finals for the fourth time in a row.

“So young, she is incredibly strong so I am very happy to have won in two rounds,” commented the 27-year-old Belarusian, double winner in Melbourne (2023, 2024) and finalist last year.

She will face Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (94) on Tuesday.^e) or the American Iva Jovic (27^e) to try to find the last square.

Revelation of last year with his title at the WTA 1000 in Montreal, Mboko participated in his first Australian Open. She achieved her best Grand Slam run to date, after her debut in Majors last year. She lost in the third round at Roland Garros, the second at Wimbledon and the first at the US Open.

On Sunday, Mboko played with his right leg still wrapped in a huge bandage running from mid-thigh to mid-calf to protect his knee.

After missing two break points in the first game of the match, the Canadian then seemed completely helpless.

But, trailing 4-1 in the second set, she took advantage of a bad game from Sabalenka to steal her serve and then return to 4-3.

Sabalenka served for the match at 5-4 but failed to convert any of her first three match points, letting Mboko return to 5-5.

In the tiebreaker, however, Sabalenka immediately broke away 6/0 and concluded on her fifth match point.

“It’s in the head and we always have to play the best we can even if it’s not our best level,” stressed the Belarusian.

She has already won four Grand Slam tournaments with, in addition to her two Australian trophies, the US Open 2024 and 2025.

She will play her 13^e consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals since her third-round elimination at Roland Garros in 2021 (she did not participate in Wimbledon in 2022 or 2024).