No. 3 Coco Gauff survived a scare on Sunday to progress into the Australian Open quarterfinal, while defending champion Aryna Sabalenka routinely got the job done.
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Playing against former world No. 4 Belinda Bencic - who kicked off her post-pregnancy comeback in late 2024 - the American tennis star had to dig deep and create a comeback before ending on the winning side 5-7 6-2 6-1.
After dropping the first set, Gauff became much more aggressive and it worked out pretty well since she hit 27 winners across the last two sets but also forced the Swiss into 21 unforced errors.
In her next match, the American will play against Paula Badosa, who defeated Olga Danilovic.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka was all business in her round-of-16 match, ousting Mirra Andreeva 6-1 6-2.
Right from the start, the top-seeded Belarusian imposed her game and took full control of the match and ultimately sealed a win in just over an hour of play after firing three aces, 15 winners, breaking her rival four times - all while not allowing the rising Russian star a single break.
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For a place in the semifinal, the defending champion plays against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Gauff's outstanding streak continues
By beating Bencic, the 20-year-old improved to 9-0 in 2025.
And since she also won her last two matches of 2024 - the semifinal and final matches at the WTA Finals - her streak currently stands at 11-0.
When Gauff meets Badosa, she will be looking to continue her fine form and clinch her fourth win over the Spaniard.
While the Spanish tennis star also has three wins in their meetings, the American won both of their clashes from last year.
Considering the current form, it is safe to say that the No. 3 seed will be the favorite in their matchup.
But ahead of the match, Gauff warned that it is "always a tough match against Paula."
