Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka won her 15th Grand Slam match of the season on Saturday, dispatching Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-3 for a second-week place at Wimbledon.
The 2021 semi-finalist here will play for the quarter-finals against Ekaterina Alexandrova who beat Dalma Galfi 6-0, 6-4.
Sabalenka broke five times and ended with a solid 30 winners including nine aces while striking 26 unforced errors.
“It was a tough match. Anna played unbelievable tennis,” she said. “I’m super happy to be in this match, especially the seventh game in the second set was really tight.
“I’m happy with the result.”
Petra Kvitova showed her grass pedigree as the two-time champion won her 50th match at the All England Club with a rain-paused 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Serb qualifier Natalija Stevanovic.
The Czech seeded ninth improved to 38-12 at the venue, winning more matches here than Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska, who played in the previous tennis generation.
Kvitova, the 2011and 2015 trophyholder, claimed her 31st career title by winning Berlin last month.
Stevanovic, 28, had failed to qualify for Grand Slams ten times before reaching the main draw here for the first time.
Kvitova has reached the Wimbledon second week for only the second time since
“It was a tough one, for sure, especially with the rain delay,” she said. “She plays with a lot of slice – differently than other players.
“I had to be calm the whole match. I made it somehow. But I should have gone a bit more often to the net to finish it.
“But I think I did a pretty good job, I’m happy to be through, for sure.”
Beatriz Maddad Maia. Brazil’s surprise Roland Garros semi-finalist, moved into the fourth round 6-2, 6-2 over Romanian Sorana Cirstea in 90 minutes.
