(Melbourne) Luxury brands took center stage at the Australian Open, where Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka and Canadian Victoria Mboko advanced to the fourth round.
But when the world number one women’s tennis player takes on one of the sport’s rising young stars, it will only be about tennis.
Top seed Sabalenka beat Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) and Mboko, 19, eliminated Clara Tauson, 14e seeded, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3 to earn their bye to the round of 16.
Sabalenka has won the Australian Open twice and reached the final at Melbourne Park last year. She also has two US Open titles. Mboko is making his debut at the Australian Open this year.
Fashion was more than ever the center of attention during this tournament after Naomi Osaka’s spectacular entrance during her first round match.
Sabalenka and Mboko therefore had to answer questions about their advertising contracts, which coincide with the first Grand Slam meeting of the year: the Belarusian with Gucci and the Canadian with Rolex.
PHOTO ASANKA BRENDON RATNAYAKE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aryna Sabalenka
But on Friday, the focus was mainly on the upcoming match between two players with very different experiences.
“First of all, I never spoke to her, I never had the opportunity to play or train with her. I only saw her outside,” Sabalenka said of Mboko.
I watched a few matches. Yes, she is an excellent player. She’s a fighter. She plays very well, with combative tennis.
Aryna Sabalenka on Victoria Mboko
Sabalenka is playing at the Australian Open for the eighth time, has won 22 titles on the tour and earned more than $45 million in purses during her career.
She was long considered one of the sport’s most promising players, but she had to overcome stage fright and service problems. It was only in her fourth appearance at the Australian Open that she qualified for the second week of the tournament.
“I think for me it would have been very difficult to deal with success at such a young age,” Sabalenka said.
“But when I see these girls, so young and who have already accomplished so much, who play tennis so well and who are so mature, I find it incredible. I feel like they mature a lot faster than me. »
Mboko acknowledged that this will be a big step forward, on and off the court. She is only making her fourth appearance at a Grand Slam tournament, and her first participation in the round of 16 at this stage of one of the four biggest events in world tennis.
She won two WTA titles, the first last August in Montreal – in the WTA 1000 category – when she was 18 years old and benefited from a pass from the organizers of the National Bank Open.
“I think it’s super cool. I have never played against the current world number 1. It will be a very different experience,” admitted the Canadian.
“I guess we will also play on the Rod Laver court. I’ve never played on center court at a Grand Slam either. Lots of first times. I think it’s really cool to be able to do this on Sunday. Just to show what I’m capable of. »
Sabalenka has built a large following by being very active on social media, attracting new fans to tennis and giving her existing supporters a behind-the-scenes look.
Sabalenka takes her role as an ambassador to the public and a positive influence for young players very seriously. Mboko is about to have his first up-close experience.
“That’s my only priority: to be a good example, to show that it’s possible to find a balance, that you have to know how to have fun while remaining focused on your career,” she explains.
“I want to prevent young people from making the same mistake as me, namely devoting themselves exclusively to tennis, which generates a lot of pressure and ends up destroying you from the inside. »
