Aryna Sabalenka is through to the fourth round of Wimbledon for the third time in her career after defeating Emma Raducanu in straight sets.
Sabalenka beat Raducanu 7-6, 6-4 in the third round to set up a clash with 24th seed Elise Mertens in her next match at the championships.
The Briton took the Belarusian to a tiebreak in the first set, and was up a break in the second, but ultimately couldn’t get over the line.
After her triumph, the WTA number one reflected on her performance and gave credit to her opponent on Centre Court at Wimbledon.
Aryna Sabalenka makes a prediction about Emma Raducanu
In her on-court interview after the match, Sabalenka said of Raducanu: “Honestly, she played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win.
“I fought for every point like crazy, and I am super happy with the win and happy to see her healthy and back on track.
“I am pretty sure that soon she is going to be back in the top 10. And guys, wow! What an atmosphere. My ears are still hurting.
“It was super loud. Every time you were cheering for her, I was just trying to tell myself just pretend they are cheering for you, and I was having goosebumps. Thank you!”
When asked how she stayed so calm, she said: “Honestly, I had a lot of experience in the past and especially recently, where I just completely lost myself and I could not play a point, and today I was just trying to keep telling myself do not do the same mistake.
“I was just trying to stay calm and push myself to the limit.
“She [Raducanu] was playing incredible tennis once again. She was moving me a lot and serving well from the baseline.
“She was playing great tennis. I was just trying to stay focused and put as many balls as I can on that side and try and put all of the pressure on her.”
Aryna Sabalenka becomes first to achieve feat since Serena Williams in 2019
With her win over Raducanu, Sabalenka is now the first player to reach the fourth round in 11 or more consecutive Grand Slam singles appearances since Serena Williams in 2019.
Williams tallied 14 between the US Open in 2014 and the Australian Open in 2019.
Sabalenka has made deep runs at majors this year, making it to the final of both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, but came up short on both occasions.
Now, with several seeded stars crashing out in the early rounds of Wimbledon, she has a great chance to emerge victorious at the All England Club for the first time.
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