Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
Aryna Sabalenka maintained her stranglehold over Belgian Elise Mertens with a hard-fought 6-4 7-6(4) victory on Sunday to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals as she bids for a maiden title at the grasscourt Grand Slam.
The Belarusian top seed came into the match on Centre Court having beaten Mertens 10 times in 12 meetings – the most for her against any player on the WTA Tour – and the one-sided rivalry looked set to continue after she made a strong start.
That impression would change, however, as Sabalenka dropped her level and wasted a 4-1 lead but the three-times major winner recovered quickly and claimed the opening set with a break on the back of a searing backhand crosscourt winner.
Sabalenka hit a cheeky volley that clipped the net cord in the opening game of the second set but her former doubles partner responded with some solid returning in the next to break and surge ahead.
Her momentum did not last long, though, as Sabalenka drew level after six games and the world number one stepped up again at crucial points in a see-saw tiebreak, which she finished with a crisp forehand volley.
Sabalenka, who has reached 11 quarter-finals in the last 11 majors she has played in, next takes on 37-year-old 104th-ranked German Laura Siegemund and the belief will be growing that she can finally claim the title at the All England Club.
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