Azarenka sinks Ostapenko's AO 2024 campaign

Two-time AO champion Victoria Azarenka surged into the fourth round of Australian Open 2024 with a 6-1 7-5 upset over 11th seed Jelena Ostapenko.

During the battle between former Grand Slam winners at Margaret Court Arena, the 18th seed fired 11 aces, including three to save break points as she served for the match. Crucially, Azarenka limited her unforced errors to 17, compared to her rival’s 30.

Azarenka, 34, recovered from a 2-5 deficit in the second set to take victory in 1 hour and 23 minutes, extending her unbeaten record against the Latvian to 4-0.

The 18th seed’s next opponent is qualifier Dayana Yastremska, who upset 27th seed Emma Navarro to reach the round of 16 at a major for the first time in her young career.

More to come