Friday 23 / January / 2026
Melbourne: Two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka faced a stern challenge as she battled her way into the fourth round of the ongoing Australian Open in Melbourne with a 7-6(4), 7-6(7) victory against Anastasia Potapova on Friday
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff battled past fellow American Hailey Baptiste to reach the fourth round, rallying from a set down for a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory.
Sabalenka led 7-6(4), 4-0 before Potapova staged a comeback, but the top seed held firm, saving four set points in a tense second-set tiebreak to secure a 7-6(4), 7-6(7) victory as per the WTA website.
After the win, Sabalenka praised Potapova's game, saying she was under constant pressure throughout the match. She admitted that she was struggling emotionally, but was pleased with her resilience and happy to come out as a winner.
"She played incredible tennis. I was always on the back foot, and to be honest, there are days where you just have to be there, to fight and try your best to put the ball back. Even though emotionally I was all over the place, I was able to still fight for every point ... and I'm just super happy that I was able to get this win. It was such a fight and I really enjoyed it," the Belarusian tennis star said as quoted by the WTA website.
"I was just trying to calm myself down, which wasn't working well today, but at the same time, I was trying to figure out how to connect my body. It seemed like everything was working separate. My brain was somewhere else, my arms were going one direction ... and I was looking to put pressure on her, to try to let her play basically, and somehow, magically, I was able to get this win," Sabalenka added.
On the other hand, third-seed Coco Gauff defeated Hailey Baptiste 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 in an all-American clash.
After dropping the opening set, Gauff took control of the match with a dominant second set before closing out the contest. The win marked her 77th career Grand Slam victory and came in her 100th Grand Slam main-draw match.
Alcaraz eases past Moutet in Australian Open 3rd round
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz breezed into the last 16 of the Australian Open after a straight-sets thrashing of 32nd seed Corentin Moutet of France on Friday.
Alcaraz, a six-time Grand Slam winner, is slowly building towards his best and he hit 30 winners in a straightforward 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 victory in just over two hours.
Having not hit top form in his opening two matches, Alcaraz was in the zone under the sun on the center court of Rod Laver Arena and brushed aside Moutet in a 35-minute first set.
The Spaniard remained untroubled and won his third consecutive match in straight sets in an ominous sign for rivals.
The 22-year-old is determined to win the only Grand Slam title that has eluded him, having never progressed past the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park.
Alcaraz will next play American 19th seed Tommy Paul, who was leading 6-1, 6-1 before 14th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain retired due to injury in their third round match.
