Brisbane, Jan 8 (IANS) World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka continued her impressive run at the Brisbane International, storming into the quarter-finals with a dominant straight-sets victory over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea on Thursday.

From the beginning, the defending champion appeared in full command, breaking Cirstea’s serve three times in the first set to establish dominance. Sabalenka kept up her aggressive strategy throughout and secured a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 victory in only 70 minutes, advancing to the tournament’s quarterfinals.

Sabalenka’s performance further underlined her strong record in Australia in recent years. Since the beginning of 2023, the Belarusian has secured 35 wins on Australian courts with just two losses. Her achievements include consecutive Australian Open titles, and her only defeats have come in the finals of the 2024 Brisbane International and the 2025 Australian Open.

Despite her convincing win, Sabalenka acknowledged there are still areas to improve as she prepares for the Australian Open, which starts in Melbourne on January 18. After the match, she said on court that she is not yet at her best and acknowledged that an athlete improves when ‘pushed’ by someone.

“I think there is always room to improve, and I’m definitely not at my peak. Of course, I prefer to win every match 6-0, 6-0, like everyone probably prefers, but at the end of the day, you only get better when someone pushes you and you have to deal with moments under pressure,” Sabalenka said.

Meanwhile, World No. 5 Elena Rybakina also advanced to the quarter-finals, extending her winning streak to 13 matches. The 26-year-old Kazakh registered a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over world number 25 Paula Badosa in one hour and 25 minutes.

Rybakina dominated the match with her strong serve and solid baseline play, making it difficult for Badosa to find her rhythm. Her next opponent will be either Ekaterina Alexandrova or Karolina Muchova, competing for a spot in the semifinals.

As several top seeds advance effortlessly, the Brisbane International is setting the stage for exciting quarterfinal matchups, allowing players to gauge their form before the season’s first Grand Slam.

–IANS

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