Victoria Azarenka advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, a decade after her last title, by defeating American third seed Jessica Pegula.
The 33-year-old Belarussian, seeded 24th, made a strong start and capitalized on it to win 6-4, 6-1.
Pegula was the highest seed remaining, but she will have to wait for her first Slam semi-final.
After defeating Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4, Azarenka will face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
Rybakina, 23, dominated Latvia’s 17th seed Ostapenko, hitting 11 aces and hitting 24 winners.
Following a lengthy rain delay on Rod Laver Arena, the Kazakh, who is seeded 22nd, won in one hour and 19 minutes.
“I’m overjoyed to be in the semi-finals for the first time,” Rybakina, the youngest player remaining in the women’s draw, said.
“Of course, I was nervous, particularly during the last game. I’m relieved that I was able to control my emotions and play well today.”
Despite winning the most prestigious title of her career, Rybakina fell to 25th in the world, where she remains, because ranking points were not awarded at the grass court major.
She later admitted that she did not feel like a Grand Slam champion and began her Melbourne campaign on court 13 rather than a show court.
After being reintroduced to the main draw at Melbourne Park, she followed up her stunning win over top seed Iga Swiatek with another devastating performance against 2017 French Open winner Ostapenko.
“I believe I gained all of my experience at Wimbledon, which is now helping me here in Australia. I know what to anticipate, “Rybakina explained.