World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Victoria Mboko 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) to advance to the Australian Open quarterfinals, where she will face 18-year-old Iva Jovic. Jovic continued her impressive run with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Yulia Putintseva. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff beat Karolina Muchova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal against Elina Svitolina.
Aryna Sabalenka appeared on course for a straightforward victory against 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, leading 6-1, 4-1 in their fourth-round match at the Australian Open on January 25, 2026. However, Mboko mounted a comeback, saving three match points at 5-4 in the second set before Sabalenka prevailed in the tie-break, 7-1, securing her 20th consecutive Grand Slam tie-break win.
Sabalenka, bidding for her third Australian Open title in four years, praised her opponent: "She's an amazing player. It was quite a fight. I'm super happy that I was able to close this match in straight sets."
Awaiting Sabalenka in the quarterfinals is American Iva Jovic, who turned 18 last month and dismantled Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1 in just 53 minutes. Jovic, the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals without dropping a set since Venus Williams in 1998, recently notched her first top-10 victory over Jasmine Paolini. She expressed excitement about facing Sabalenka: "I think I'm just going to try to keep taking care of my side of the net. Obviously she's number one for a reason... I'm just really excited."
In another key women's match, third seed Coco Gauff extended her perfect 5-0 record over Karolina Muchova with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 triumph. Gauff raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set but dropped the second before dominating the decider. "I think today I didn't panic," Gauff said. This marks her third straight quarterfinal in Melbourne and sixth consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal overall.
Elina Svitolina, the 12th seed, advanced by beating Mirra Andreeva 6-2, 6-4, reaching her 14th career Grand Slam quarterfinal. She will face Gauff next, against whom she holds a 1-2 record.
