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Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka fought through a turbulent match to keep her dream of a third consecutive Australian Open title alive, overcoming Denmark’s Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 in the third round on Friday. The world No. 1, who has struggled with her serve throughout the tournament, faced a stern challenge from Tauson in a contest that lasted over two hours on Rod Laver Arena.
Sabalenka’s serving woes, which had resurfaced in her second-round win against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, were a major factor again. The Belarusian dropped four consecutive serve games during the match, but ultimately found the resolve to pull through.
“Conditions are pretty heavy for servers,” Sabalenka told reporters. “It’s not giving you that much of an advantage as usual. The balls are heavy, and the courts are a little bit slower. Sometimes, you just have to put that serve in and focus on playing the rally.”
In a nervy opening set, Sabalenka was broken by world No. 42 Tauson in the first game, sparking a wild sequence of seven consecutive breaks between the players, including four from the top seed. Tauson held for a 5-3 lead, but Sabalenka responded by holding her serve to love before breaking back.
Sabalenka squandered four set points on Tauson’s serve at 6-5, but on her fifth opportunity in the tiebreak, the world No. 1 made no mistake, striking a crisp forehand winner to take the set.
“I think winning the first set — it was a very difficult set — gave me a little bit more mental strength,” Sabalenka said. “I felt like I could win the match, even without serving my best.”
The second set saw more of the same, with Sabalenka dropping her serve once again, but she remained determined. At 4-4, the two players exchanged a flurry of sizzling winners in a dramatic game that featured seven deuces. Sabalenka finally secured the crucial break to take a 5-4 lead, then saved two break points to hold for the match.
“That was a great battle,” Sabalenka said after the match. “She played unbelievable tennis. It was really tough to play against her today. I’m just super happy I was able to stay in the game and push myself to the limit. It was really important to get all of those breaks back — it could have gone either way.”
Both players were looking to extend their unbeaten streaks to eight matches, with Sabalenka coming off a win at the Brisbane International and Tauson claiming the Auckland title. In the end, Sabalenka extended her remarkable run on Rod Laver Arena to 17 consecutive victories.
Next up for Sabalenka is either rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva or Poland’s Magdalena Frech. The world No. 1 is aiming for a rare hat-trick of Australian Open titles, a feat last achieved 26 years ago by Martina Hingis and only matched by four other women in tennis history.
