Chris Evert heaps praise on Victoria Azarenka following 4R win at Australian Open, says the Belarusian's "high competitive spirit is off the charts"

Former World No. 1 Chris Evert recently lauded Victoria Azarenka after her fourth-round win at the Australian Open 2023.

Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, advanced to the quarterfinals of the first major of the year after defeating China's Lin Zhu in the round of 16 on Sunday (January 22) in Melbourne.

The Belarusian won 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a two-hour, 40-minute match to book her sixth quarterfinal spot in the tournament, having won it twice in 2012 and 2013. She will next face America's Jessica Pegula in the last eight.

Following that, 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert praised Azarenka on Twitter, saying it was a great match and that the former World No. 1's "intensity" and "high competitive spirit" are still "off the charts."

"What a great match between Zhu and Azarenka. Vika’s high intensity, high competitive spirit is still off the charts," Evert wrote.

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"It was a bit frustrating for me, I'm not going to lie" - Victoria Azarenka on her match against Lin Zhu

Victoria Azarenka and Lin Zhu pictured at the 2023 Australian Open - Day 7.

Victoria Azarenka stated in a post-match press conference that the match was very tight and she had trouble decoding her opponent's playing strategy, which she described as "frustrating."

"It was hell of a match. It was very physical. There were so many rallies. It was kind of tough for me to figure out how my opponent plays. I watched a little bit her playing before, but today I felt like the bullets were coming from every angle, on the run, off the run, on the line, touch the net. I felt like everything is, like, going in," Azarenka said.

"It was a bit frustrating for me, I'm not going to lie. I probably didn't show it, but I was a bit upset because, When is it going to turn my way," she added.

However, the Belarusian quickly added that she was eventually happy because she was able to turn the situation around in her favor.

"But I'm so happy that I was able to turn this around. What I said on the court. I had couple really tough three sets that didn't turn my way, and I was very, very close. Today was very important for me," Azarenka said.

The 33-year-old went on to discuss her upcoming opponent Jessica Pegula, saying that she is a great friend of hers and that she "adores" the current World No. 3. She added that their upcoming match will be another "tough" battle with many rallies.

"She's a great friend of mine. I absolutely adore her. We have really tough battles every single time. We practice with each other. There's going to be no surprises absolutely," Azarenka said.

Also, like, it's going to be tough, it's going to be a lot of rallies, the ball is going to be low. Doesn't really make it easier to think that I know who I'm playing," Victoria Azarenka added.