WTA player admits she’s ‘so tired’ of having to play against Aryna Sabalenka ahead of Australian Open clash in fourth round

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Mirra Andreeva is through to the fourth round of the Australian Open where she will face her toughest test of the tournament so far.

The teenager has established herself as one of the brightest young stars on the WTA Tour and is knocking on the door of the top 10.

A deep run at Melbourne Park would certainly boost her chances of breaking into that elite group, but to achieve that she will have to defeat the two-time defending champion.

This will be the fifth time that Mirra Andreeva will play against Aryna Sabalenka, and she does not seem to be looking forward to it.

What did Mirra Andreeva say about facing Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open?

Andreeva is set to face Sabalenka for the fifth time and second in a Grand Slam.

The Russian’s only victory over the World number one came in the quarter-finals of the 2024 French Open.

But she has lost three of their four matches including their encounter at the Brisbane International a fortnight ago.

Sabalenka, as is the case for most players, is certainly a huge challenge for Andreeva, and one which she says she is “tired” of.

“Honestly, I’m so tired of playing against her,” Andreeva said. “ It’s, like, I don’t know. I think she’s the one player that I’ve — I don’t know. I played her four r five times already. So, yeah, it’s a lot. So what can I say? Here we are again.

“I know that probably it’s going to be an entertaining match, and of course, I’m going to do everything possible. I’m going to give my best. I think it’s going to be interesting to watch. So we will see what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

Aryna Sabalenka surpasses Steffi Graff statistic ahead of facing Mirra Andreeva at the Australian Open

Sabalenka faced Denmark’s Clara Tauson for the first time in her career at the Australian Open.

The Belarusian came from 3-5 down in the first set to claim it on a tiebreak, before going on to win 7-6(5), 6-4 in two hours and six minutes.

This was Sabalenka’s 17th successive victory at the Australian Open and her 20th on Rod Laver Arena. This took her win percentage on the iconic court to 90%.

She is now fourth on the all-time list, surpassing Steffi Graff, whose win percentage on Rod Laver arena is 89.74%.

Sabalenka has won 18 of her 20 matches on Rod Laver, while Graff, a four-time Australian Open champion, managed 35 wins from her 39 matches throughout her illustrious career.