Scream Saver: Sabalenka Survives Potapova Pressure for AO Fourth-Round Return

By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, January 22, 2026
Photo credit: Australian Open Facebook

Aryna Sabalenka has worked to incorporate finesse and serve-and-volley skills to her explosive game.

Today, the world No. 1 showed strong survival skills to subdue Anastasia Potapova 7-6(4), 7-6(7) and advance to the Australian Open fourth round for the sixth straight year.

“That was a tough match,” Sabalenka said. “Played really incredible tennis. I don’t know. I was just
trying to stay there. I was trying to fight.

“I’m super happy with my mentality today on the match. I think the only thing I got today on the court, the only thing that really helped me to get the win.”

In her toughest test of the tournament by far, Sabalenka squandered a 4-0 second-set lead then staved off four set points in the tiebreaker. 

One point from realizing her vision of a fourth set, Potapova tightened up and lost her way as Sabalenka stormed through six of the last seven points to tame trouble.

Two-time AO champion Sabalenka has advanced to the round of 16 in her last 13 Grand Slam appearances.

It wasn’t easy today, but Sabalenka showed her fighting spirit.

The top seed smacked 34 winners against 44 unforced errors in a tight two hour, two-minute test.

“I mean, Aryna five years ago would probably be focusing too much on the way she feels and completely lose these games,” Sabalenka said. “Nowadays with the experience, I learned a lot that it
doesn’t really matter how you feel, it’s all about your mentality, your mental strength to be there, to just try your best, to put the ball ugly, with the terrible technique, with completely body being disconnected, but just try to put it back and fight.

“Because you never know, you know. You have to stay there and you have to fight and you have to show your opponent that no matter how I feel, no matter what’s going on, I’ll still be there, I’ll still be fighting, and I’ll still be willing to find something that’s going to help me to be willing to fight in the match.”

Sabalenka, who improved to 31-6 at the Australian Open, will face Montreal champion Victoria Mboko for a quarterfinal spot.

The 17th-seeded Mboko out-dueled 14th-seeded Clara Tauson 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3, in two hours 19 minutes.

It will be the first clash between 22-time WTA Tour title holder Sabalenka and Mboko, who reached the Adelaide final earlier this month.