Former champion Azarenka reaches quarter-finals

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Twice champion Victoria Azarenka reached her fifth Australian Open quarter-final on Monday with a 6-2 6-4 win over unseeded Czech Barbora Strycova.

The former world number one has been in irresistible form at Melbourne Park, winning her four matches without dropping a set, and had too many weapons for Strycova, who scrapped hard but was edged in the baseline battles.

Azarenka captured the decisive break in the seventh game of the final set and saved two break points at 4-3 before closing out the match in one hour and 26 minutes.

Azarenka’s bid for a third Melbourne Park title continues against German seventh seed Angelique Kerber.

(By Ian Ransom, Editing by Peter Rutherford)