World number one Aryna Sabalenka registered a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open 2026 after a tense win against Anastasia Potapova. Sabalenka clinched a 7-6(4) 7-6(7) victory. Potapova played for Austria after a recent nationality switch from Russia.
“She played incredible tennis. I was always on the back foot and, to be honest, there are days where you just have to be there, just have to fight,” Sabalenka said on court.
“Emotionally I was all over the place … I was just trying to cool myself down, which wasn’t working well today. My brain was somewhere else, my arms were going in another direction.”
Onto the next 🐯
Two-times AO champion Aryna Sabalenka defeats Anastasia Potapova 7-6, 7-6 and makes her way to the fourth round of #AO26 pic.twitter.com/tzQJU6O6wx
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2026
“Somehow, magically, I was able to get this win.”
What a match 🤯🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/0XyR54mHSG
— News Aryna Sabalenka (@Sabanewsss) January 23, 2026
Potapova found the paint down the line 🖌️@chubb #chubbinsurance #ChubbCloseCall #CloseCall@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/ssNyd5ipBM
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2026
This would be Sabalenka’s sixth consecutive appearance in the fourth round at Melbourne Park, where she won the title back-to-back in 2023-24.
Covering sports for fun. Cricket in whites remains the first love—the kind that teaches patience, rewards nuance, and tells stories over five days rather than five seconds.
