LONDON :Top seed Aryna Sabalenka reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals following a tough workout by a familiar opponent on Sunday, while it was a mixed day for Britain as Cameron Norrie was left as the last home hope standing after Sonay Kartal went out.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was locked in tough match with Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev of Russia on Centre Court, with the Spaniard battling to remain on course for a third straight title at the All England Club.
Sabalenka is eyeing her first on the pristine lawns in London after missing last year's tournament with injury and the 2022 edition due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, and the 27-year-old made a fast start against Elise Mertens.
Sabalenka, who claimed doubles titles at the U.S. Open and Australian Open partnering Mertens, was then put through the wringer before raising her level to prevail 6-4 7-6(4).
The victory improved her win-loss record against Belgian Mertens to 11-2 and she said the growing adoration of the crowd made a big difference after fans were on the other side of the fence when she met Briton Emma Raducanu last time out.
"I definitely felt the support. It was so amazing playing and feeling the support. I didn't have to pretend that they were cheering for me because they were really cheering for me," Belarusian Sabalenka said.
"What can be better than that? I really enjoyed it. I hope it can stay the same all the way, and they help me energy-wise to stay strong and to face all of the challenges."
BIG TEST
Sabalenka's next big test will come from Laura Siegemund, who at 37 is the oldest woman left in the singles draw, and the plucky German swatted aside Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra with a 6-3 6-2 victory in a rain-interrupted
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