Aryna Sabalenka moves two wins closer to World No. 1 spot after Iga Swiatek's Wimbledon exit

Aryna Sabalenka was unable to compete at Wimbledon last year due to the tournament's ban on Russian and Belarusian players. However, she is battling hard enough to take a step closer to winning her second Grand Slam title in this year's edition.

The Belarusian got off to a good start, defeating Panna Udvardy, Varvara Gracheva, and Anna Blinkova in the first three rounds to set up a fourth-round meeting with Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Sabalenka then advanced to her second Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Russia's No. 21 seed Alexandrova on Monday, July 10. The victory also marked her reaching the second week of a Major for the fourth time in a row.

The Belarusian indeed had to step up her game against Alexandrova, who can match the No. 2 seed's power and defeated her in straight sets on grass last summer.

Nonetheless, Aryna Sabalenka will become the new World No. 1 if she reaches the final at the grass-court Major in the British capital, dethroning Iga Swiatek. The Pole was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, making the 25-year-old Sabalenka's job easier.

Sabalenka had a good chance to finish at the top of the rankings at Roland-Garros. However, it didn't come to pass, as she needed to win the title to do so. Swiatek, on the other hand, maintained her ranking by lifting the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup.

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Aryna Sabalenka will face Madison Keys in the Wimbledon quarterfinals

Aryna Sabalenka pictured at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Aryna Sabalenka will take on American Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday, July 12. The two are evenly matched, with one win each in their head-to-head record.

Sabalenka discussed her upcoming opponent Keys in a press conference, saying that her forehand, service game can be really "annoying" in the match, before quickly adding that she is looking forward to it.

"She's very aggressive player. Her forehand can be really annoying. She's hitting some really big shots from there. Serving really well. Playing pretty fast game," the Belarusian said. "She's really tough opponent to play against. I mean, I know it's going to be great battle. I'm really looking forward for this match."

Aryna Sabalenka continued to praise Madison Keys, saying:

"She's going to be a top player very soon. I'm really impressed with her game, with what she's doing in the woman's tennis. That's great. She's definitely going to be a really great player."