Wimbledon: Aryna Sabalenka marches into quarterfinals with win over former doubles partner

London: The world number one Aryna Sabalenka marched into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, defeating world number 19 Elise Mertens in her round of 16 match.

Sabalenka defeated her former doubles partner, Elise, with whom she won her first Grand Slam title six years back at the US Open, with a margin of 6-4, 7-6 (4), in the fourth round at the All England Club. Sabalenka has now secured wins in 11 out of 13 matches against Elise.

Sabalenka, the US Open champion, is the only one of the top six seeds left in the women's draw.

The 27-year-old missed last year's Wimbledon due to injury and was banned in 2022 as part of a blanket suspension on Russian and Belarusian athletes due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Now a three-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka is just a few steps away from her fourth title and her first-ever Wimbledon title, where she has finished in the semifinals twice, back in 2021 and 2023, as per WTA's official website.

The Belarusian's next challenge will be the 37-year-old Laura Siegemund, who ousted Solana Sierra with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Sabalenka finished with a total of six aces and won 32 of her 38 first-serve points. Both players had 18 unforced errors, Sabalenka had 36 winners, nine more in comparison to Elise.

Sabalenka is in red-hot form in Grand Slams, and she has reached the quarterfinals in her previous 10 Grand Slam events. Her 16 Grand Slam wins this year are way more than any other player, so are her 46 wins overall, as per WTA's official website.

Elise, currently ranked world number 19, is no less at the age of 29. The Belgian secured the Libema Open last month and came into the match with a career record of 15-7 at Wimbledon.