Unseeded Azarenka continues strong run at Australian Open

Melbourne, Jan 24: Unseeded Victoria Azarenka kept her magical run going at the Australian Open tennis tournament, edging Czech Republic's Barbora Zahlavova Strycova to set up a fourth round clash with Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova.

Azarenka, who had to go through Sloane Stephens and No.8 seed Caroline Wozniacki en route to the third round, looked headed for a routine straight set victory as she built a 6-4, 3-0 lead, her big ground strokes hitting their mark as Zahlavova Strycova kept searching for the right answers.

She found them for a while – the No.25-seeded Czech caught up to 3-all, then after losing serve in the next game broke back for 4-all as well. But Azarenka held her nerve too well, breaking one last time and serving it out, wrapping up a gruelling 6-4, 6-4 victory after an hour and 41 minutes on court.

Azarenka has now won 21 of her last 22 matches here, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013, reaching the quarter-finals in 2014 and now three more wins in 2015.

Azarenka was asked afterwards whether she's feeling more confident with each win here.

"I take it as progress. It was another opportunity to improve. I had a different opponent, so it's difficult to compare the level or the quality because it's different styles, but I'm just happy I managed to go through my matches," Azarenka said.

"There are things I want to improve, obviously, but it's progress, it's one step closer, and I'm happy to have another opportunity to play Monday."

Awaiting Azarenka in the fourth round is No.11 seed and 2014 Australian Open finalist Cibulkova, who won an extremely tight two-setter against No.19 seed Alize Cornet earlier in the day, 7-5, 6-2.

Cornet had chances in the match, holding six set points in the first set – four when up 5-3, two up 5-4 – and she even went up 2-0 in the second set. But Cibulkova was just too good on the big points, saving all six set points and winning six games in a row from that 0-2 second set deficit.

Cibulkova is in the second week of a major for the first time since reaching her first major final here a year ago – she was defeated at the third round at the French Open and Wimbledon and at the first round at the US Open.

Azarenka leads Cibulkova in their head-to-head, 7-2, but Cibulkova did win their last meeting, which was in the fourth round of the French Open in 2012.

"She's a very tough opponent, as I've had in all of my rounds," Azarenka said.

"She's obviously had a lot of great success here. I'm just going to have to give it 100 per cent and be aggressive. She's going to make a lot of shots and she's going to be very motivated. I've really just got to step it up."