Top seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her march towards a third consecutive Australian Open title after disposing of Russian rising star Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round on Sunday.

Aryna Sabalenka hits a return during the women's singles 4th round match between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Mirra Andreeva of Russia at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 19, 2025. (Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

The 26-year-old Sabalenka handed the 14th seed a 6-1, 6-2 lesson in warm conditions on Rod Laver Arena.

It was Sabalenka's 18th straight victory in Melbourne and she remains well on course for a hat-trick of titles, a feat that only five women have achieved in tournament history with the last being Martina Hingis in 1999.

Sabalenka will play either 18th seed Donna Vekic or 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals.

"I'm super happy to get through this difficult match in straight sets. Super happy with the level I played in those conditions," said Sabalenka, who romped to victory in 62 minutes.

The 17-year-old Andreeva is considered one of the most exciting prospects in women's tennis, having reached the semifinals of last year's French Open to become the youngest player to make the final four of a Grand Slam since 1997.

She has shown maturity and composure beyond her age in this tournament, having pulled out tense three-set victories in her previous two matches.

But facing the formidable Sabalenka under the bright lights of center court was her biggest test yet.

The first three games were dominated by the server until Sabalenka started to find the corners and she found another level.

She climbed into Andreeva's tentative serve to clinch two breaks, taking a 5-1 lead after unfurling a sublime drop shot.

Sabalenka was in the zone and wrapped up the first set in 24 minutes with a fierce backhand winner down the line.

Sabalenka was ruthless and the pressure mounted on Andreeva, who had consecutive double faults to helplessly drop serve in the third game. But Andreeva showed fight and hung on after winning five straight points from 15-40 in the fifth game.

It gave her confidence as she attacked Sabalenka's serve in the sixth game. But Andreeva failed to convert three break points and it proved costly as Sabalenka finished the match off quickly.