- Belarusian beats Zhu Lin 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a gruelling late-night match.
- She will now face Jessica Pegula.
- he tournament’s organizers came under fire a few days earlier.
Victoria Azarenka advanced to the quarterfinals after triumphing in a grueling late-night match against China’s Zhu Lin.
The highest remaining women’s seed in the draw, Jessica Pegula of the United States, is the Belarusian’s opponent after she defeated the 24th-seeded American 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The tournament’s organizers came under fire a few days earlier when Andy Murray and a local player named Thanasi Kokkinakis fought till 4:05 in the morning.
Due to the lengthy five-set battle between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner before it, the match between Victoria Azarenka and unseeded Zhu got underway late at Rod Laver Arena.
It was a grueling match that began late on Sunday and ended in the early hours of Monday in front of a largely deserted stadium.
“It was two hours and forty minutes of pure pressure,” Azarenka, 33, said afterwards.
“I don’t even know what time it is,” she said when asked what time she would go to bed.
“I’ll probably be up till 6:00 a.m., then put on my mask and sleep during the day.”
Victorious @vika7 👏
Azarenka seals her spot into the quarter-finals against Lin Zhu. #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/ASrNnrYQmd
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2023
After each won a set, Zhu and Azarenka moved into the deciding third set and exchanged breaks to 3-3.
Both players were hitting massive ground strokes, and Zhu, 28, eventually held serve for 4-3, putting her in the top eight.
Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion, then held her opponent at 4-4 and broke her opponent for 5-4 when Zhu sent her return into the net.
When faced with two break points, Azarenka sensed victory and fought herself out of a hole.
On the first match point, she won it with a devastating two-handed crosscourt backhand.
[embedpost slug=”victoria-azarenka-advanced-at-australian-open-by-beating-keys/”]
