Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka continued their impeccable run at the ongoing 2024 Australian Open as both stars made their way to the quarter-finals without dropping a set so far.
Gauff convincingly defeated 69th-ranked Magdalena Frech of Poland 6-1, 6-2 in the fourth round, securing her 11th consecutive Grand Slam match win and ninth consecutive match win on the tour to kick off 2024.
Through the first four rounds, she has spent three fewer hours on the court compared to her initial four matches during her run to the U.S. Open title last summer.
The No. 4 seed Gauff has not encountered a seed in Melbourne yet and will not face one in Tuesday's quarterfinal either. Her opponent will be the 35th-ranked Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.
“U.S. Open I did play higher-ranked people earlier,” said Gauff, who is averaging 1 hour, 12 minutes on court. “That’s also another reason why I had so many long matches.
“I don’t feel uncooked at all. I would love for every match to go pretty easy.”
On the other hand, Sabalenka made her way to the quarterfinals with a dominant display, cruising past American Amanda Anisimova with a clinical 6-3, 6-2 victory at Margaret Court Arena.
As the top remaining seed following Saturday's early exit for world number one Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka, known for struggling with her own emotions, kept them strictly under control to reach the last eight without dropping a set.
"I'm super happy with the level, super happy with the win," said Sabalenka.
"I just tried to stay focused on my game, and just focus every single point. I want to stay here right until the very end and hopefully we can get this one again."
Sabalenka, who is set to lock horns with the ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova in the next round, did not drop a set at last year's Australian Open until the final, where she secured her maiden Grand Slam title and looks well to repeat the history at this year's major.
