Aryna Sabalenka defeated teenager Victoria Mboko in 4th round Australian Open 2026
Coco Gauff saw off Czechia's Karolina Muchova
Sabalenka set to face Iva Jovic in her last 8 match
Aryna Sabalenka set a grand slam record as she defeated Victoria Mboko to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, where she will be joined by Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka beat teenage sensation Mboko 6-1 7-6 (7-1) on Sunday to book her place in the last eight.
In the process, the world number one set a new grand slam record for successive tie-breaks won in the Open Era (20), surpassing Novak Djokovic on 19.
Sabalenka, who was 4-1 up in the second set but was pegged back by Mboko, is yet to drop a set at this edition of the Australian Open, as she aims to win her third title at Melbourne Park.
Next up for the top seed is another teenager in the form of Iva Jovic. The American convincingly dispatched Yulia Putintseva 6-0 6-1.
"I think I'm just going to try to keep taking care of my side of the net," said Jovic of facing Sabalenka.
"Obviously, she's number one for a reason and has had so much success at this tournament, but that's what I want.
"I said last year that I hoped to be able to play here this year, because you definitely want to play the best and see how it goes. I'm really excited."
Gauff, meanwhile, once again needed three sets to win, as the third seed defeated Karolina Muchova 6-1 3-6 6-3.
Data Debrief: The Kids Are Alright
Jovic is breaking new ground. She is the youngest woman to claim an opening set 6-0 in a last-16 match or onwards at a major since Martina Hingis at the 1998 Australian Open.
The 18-year-old is also the youngest woman to reach the last eight at the Australian Open without dropping a set since Venus Williams, 28 years ago.
Gauff, meanwhile, is the youngest woman competing for the United States to reach three consecutive quarter-finals at the Australian Open since Mary Joe Fernandez (four in a row between 1990 and 1993).
The world number three has now reached at least one grand slam quarter-final in six straight seasons, becoming the youngest woman to do so since Hingis (seven straight seasons between 1996 and 2002) and Williams (1997-2002).
