MELBOURNE, Australia — Earlier than Victoria Azarenka had an opportunity to research each gamers she would possibly meet subsequent, a query was posed to her son in regards to the two-time Australian Open champion’s third-round efficiency.
5-year-old Leo, sporting his sun shades within the information convention room and sitting on his mom’s knee, responded succinctly: “Superior!”
Thanks, child.
Azarenka’s personal highlights from her 6-0, 6-2 win over Fifteenth-seeded Elina Svitolina on Friday included the “quantity of aggressivity I might deliver level after level, making use of numerous strain, the consistency. The break factors I confronted, I performed actually sturdy.”
“Yeah, taking management of my finish of the courtroom,” she added. “I believe that’s what I’m extra joyful about.”
She’ll subsequent play French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who rallied from a set and a break down in opposition to No. 26-seeded Jelena Ostapenko to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 and advance to the fourth spherical in singles at Melbourne Park for the primary time.
The Twenty fourth-seeded Azarenka, who received the title at Melbourne Park in 2012 and 2013 and has been a U.S. Open finalist thrice, is into the fourth spherical right here for the primary time since 2016 after extending her successful document to 5-0 in opposition to Svitolina.
She amassed almost twice as many winners, 17, as unforced errors, 9, and by no means confronted a break level. Svitolina made mistake after mistake, 26 unforced errors in all.
Since a quarterfinal run in Australia in 2016, Azarenka misplaced first-round matches final yr and in 2019, and missed the hard-court event in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
The 32-year-old former world No. 1 from Belarus is feeling snug proper now, fulfilling the twin roles of participant and mom in Melbourne.
Azarenka was requested if it was extra demanding, distracting or enjoyable to have her son together with her on the tour.
“All the above,” she mentioned, laughing, as Krejcikova and Ostapenko have been taking part in. “It’s positively not a distraction, I’ll by no means say that. Being a father or mother will not be simple. He’s stuffed with persona — I don’t know the place he will get it from!”
Leo flipped his event credential round on its lanyard as his mom responded to questions from throughout the room and on-line. He yawned at the very least as soon as and blew air onto the microphone.
“I all the time really feel privileged that I’m capable of have him right here,” Azarenka mentioned. “These form of moments are actually priceless for me. To have the option for me to share that with my son is fairly unimaginable.”
In different outcomes on Day 5, fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari beat No. 28 Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-1 to maneuver right into a fourth-round match in opposition to twenty first seed Jessica Pegula of the U.S., who beat Nuria Parrizas Diaz 7-6 (3), 6-2.
Eighth-seeded Paula Badosa had a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win over Marta Kostyuk to maneuver right into a fourth-round match in opposition to American Madison Keys, who held off Wang Qiang 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
On the lads’s facet, Miomir Kecmanovic is taking advantage of the absence of his fellow Serbian Novak Djokovic, reaching the fourth spherical at a significant for the primary time with a 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-5 win over No. 25-seeded Lorenzo Sonego.
He had been drawn to play top-ranked Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion, within the first spherical. However Djokovic was deported on the eve of the event for failing to fulfill Australia’s strict COVID-19 laws, and Kecmanovic as a substitute confronted Salvatore Caruso — a so-called fortunate loser from qualifying — within the first spherical and Tommy Paul within the second.
Kecmanovic will subsequent play Seventeenth-seeded Gael Monfils, who beat No. 16 Cristian Garin 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-3.
The evening session later Friday featured two much-anticipated matchups that might result in a good larger one.
Defending champion Naomi Osaka was to face Amanda Anisimova at Margaret Court docket Enviornment, whereas No. 1 Ash Barty was set to play Camila Giorgi at Rod Laver Enviornment.
The winners of these two matches will meet one another in a fourth-round contest that might have the texture of a Grand Slam remaining per week early if it’s Osaka vs. Barty.
Rafael Nadal was to proceed his bid for a document twenty first Grand Slam title with a third-round match in opposition to No. 28 Karen Khachanov.
