TOP-RANKED Aryna Sabalenka is having to navigate her way past a new wave of teenage challengers as she bids for a third Australian Open title in four years.
According to the Associated Press, Sabalenka advanced to the quarterfinals on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, with a 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory over 19-year-old Vicky Mboko at Rod Laver Arena. The two-time defending champion next faces 18-year-old Iva Jovic, continuing a youthful theme in her title defense.
Jovic, the tournament’s 29th seed, powered into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal by overwhelming Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1 in just 53 minutes at John Cain Arena, known as the People’s Court.
Sabalenka breezed through the opening set against Mboko in 31 minutes but encountered resistance in the second.
After building a 4-1 lead, she failed to convert three match points while serving at 5-4, allowing Mboko to claw back and force a tiebreaker. Sabalenka responded by dominating the breaker, extending her streak to 20 consecutive tiebreak wins.
Coco Gauff, who was still a teenager when she won her first Grand Slam title in 2023, also reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the third straight year after defeating No. 19 seed Karolina Muchova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Alcaraz beats Paul
In the men’s draw earlier, top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz continued his pursuit of a career Grand Slam at age 22 with a 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5 win over No. 19 seed Tommy Paul to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.
Melbourne Park remains the only Grand Slam venue where Alcaraz has yet to win a title, and he has said he is determined to change that, even reworking his serve with inspiration from 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic.
The match was briefly interrupted during the first-set tiebreak when play was halted for more than 14 minutes after chair umpire Marija Cicak announced that a spectator at Rod Laver Arena required urgent medical attention.
The delay was long enough for the players to warm up again before the match resumed, after the spectator was assisted out of the arena by medical and ambulance staff.
Alcaraz regained control following the stoppage and was never behind afterward. He secured the decisive break in the 10th game of the third set and closed out the match in two hours and 44 minutes. / LBG