MELBOURNE, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was challenged by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro but won her second round match at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Sabalenka beat the 54th-ranked Spaniard 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 34 minutes at Melbourne Park to continue her push for a historic third consecutive Australian Open title.
It was Sabalenka's ninth straight win at the Australian Open in straight sets and 14th win in a row in Australia.
The Belarusian was pushed hard by Bouzas Maneiro, who led 5-2 in the second set and had an opportunity at 5-3 to serve it out to force a third.
In response, Sabalenka took her play to another level to win five straight games and finish the match.
"She played incredible tennis today, and it was a really tough one," Sabalenka said of her 22-year-old opponent after the match. "It's a good challenge to have and I love it. I have to play better, so this is the way I improve my game."
Trailing 5-3 in the second set with Bouzas Maneiro serving, Sabalenka held her nerve and drew errors from the Spanish player.
Sabalenka again broke serve with the scores tied 5-5 to give herself a chance to serve for the match and brought up two match points.
Both were denied, however, by crosscourt winners from Bouzas Maneiro - one each off her forehand and backhand.
In the following point, Bouzas Maneiro had Sabalenka on the run behind the baseline before the three-time Grand Slam champion produced her best shot of the match - a crosscourt forehand winner - to bring up a third match point, which she converted with a powerful serve.
Sabalenka will play Denmark's Clara Tauson in the third round. ■