Press releases

20 Jan 2023

Azarenka reaches Australian Open fourth round

An archive photo

MINSK, 20 January (BelTA) – Two-time Australian Open winner, Belarus’ number 24 Victoria Azarenka beat world number 13 Madison Keys of the United States, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, in an hour and 40 minutes to book a spot in the 2023 Australian Open fourth round, BelTA has learned.

Victoria Azarenka defeated world number 203 Sofia Kenin of the United States, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in the opener and then saw off world number 191 Nadia Podoroska of Argentine, 6-1, 6-0.

Victoria Azarenka will next play either world number 6 Maria Sakkari of Greece or China’s world number 87 Zhu Lin.

Belarus’ world number 5 Aryna Sabalenka will take on world number 32 Elise Mertens of Belgium in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open. The Belarusian dispatched world number 74 Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-4, in the opener and then defeated world number 51 Shelby Rogers of the United States, 6-3, 6-1.

Belarus’ world number 38 Aliaksandra Sasnovich solved world number 136 Brenda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-2, in the opener and then lost to world number 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States, 2-6, 6-7 (5-7) in the second round.

In the women’s doubles opener Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia needed two hours and three sets to see off Lidziya Marozava of Belarus and Xinyun Han of China, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

The Australian Open prize money for 2023 is $51.5 million. Winners in the men’s and women’s singles events will get $2 million each. The tournament at the Melbourne Park hard courts will be over on 29 January.