Aryna Sabalenka sets up juicy Barbora Krejcikova clash at Miami Open - 'She's on top of the game right now'
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Updated 27/03/2023 at 07:37 GMT
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will face off against WTA Dubai champion Barbora Krejcikova for the third consecutive tournament at the Miami Open after she defeated Marie Bouzkova, the 31st seed, in straight sets to reach the last 16 of the event. Sabalenka and Krejcikova both spoke about relishing their developing rivalry on the WTA Tour and the nature of their head-to-head battles.
'I still feel like I'm on another planet' - Sabalenka shows off Aus Open trophy
Aryna Sabalenka produced another dominant display at the Miami Open as she dropped just three games in beating Marie Bouzkova 6-1 6-2 in comprehensive fashion in just over an hour.
The Australian Open champion was in no mood to mess around as she completed the one-sided encounter in just 67 minutes to secure her place in the last 16 at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday evening.
In what was their first head-to-head on the WTA Tour, Sabalenka confined her opponent to very limited opportunities throughout as she produced a flawless display to delight the night crowd under the Miami lights.
While the world No. 2 was forced to take a medical timeout during her victory over home favourite Shelby Rogers in the previous round, she looked to be back to full flow as she pounded winners and was utterly ruthless returning serve.
Indeed, even on serve, Sabalenka did not have any of the issues she has struggled with in the past as she did not face a single break point throughout the lopsided contest.
Speaking after the match, the 24-year-old from Minsk immediately switched her attention to the very challenging contest she will face against former world No. 2 Krejcikova on Monday as both players eye a spot in the quarter-finals.
"I think if you give her some time she can put the ball wherever she wants to," Sabalenka said. "It's tough. So you have to put a lot of pressure on her.
"You have to be really aggressive on court and not give her too much time and make her really work for it. She's a great player and it's always tough battles against her.
"I like that now on tour there are some players who are doing consistently good and I really like to see that. I like these back-to-back matches."
On any lingering doubts about her physical condition with the medical timeout taken against Rogers, Sabalenka was clear that it was not something that proved to be a big distraction.
"I have a few exercises that I have to do during the match to control this muscle, but my team did everything so that I don't focus on my leg and I focus on my game," she said.
Sabalenka leads the pair's head-to-head record 3-1 and Krejcikova, who defeated 19th seed Madison Keys 7-6(4) 6-3 to progress, is all too aware of the threat she will face from the champion at Melbourne Park in their next encounter.
"She's on top of the game right now," Krejcikova said of Sabalenka when she was asked to look ahead to their battle at Hard Rock Stadium.
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'This is a great thing for women's tennis' - McEnroe on Sabalenka win
"Her tennis is really interesting and I like to play against her because her shots are one of the fastest ones and the same with her serve and return. She is very aggressive.
"It's a really nice opportunity to play because I feel that my tennis is also improving and I feel like I have a big shot, a big chance against her."
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