Aryna Sabalenka full of praise for Clara Tauson after beating her in Melbourne - The defending champion came through 7-6 (5) 6-4 but Naomi Osaka pulled out of her match through injury.

Belinda Bencic returned to the Round of 16 at the Australian Open after Naomi Osaka was forced to retire with an injury in the third round.

Aryna Sabalenka cruises through as Coco Gauff battles into last eight - Sabalenka brushed aside Mirra Andreeva 6-1 6-2 for her 18th win in a row at Melbourne Park.

The abdominal injury that caused Naomi Osaka to retire from the Auckland final with a one-set lead over Clara Tauson less than two weeks ago struck again Friday, forcing the four-time major champion to cut a promising Australian Open short.

A persistent abdominal injury started troubling Osaka during the first set of her match on Friday, with the 27-year-old calling for medical attention when up 6-5. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Naomi Osaka forced to retire hurt at Australian Open. She played on until the end of the first set tiebreaker, which Bencic won, before calling it quits.

Coco Gauff rallied from a set down to beat Belinda Bencic 5-7 6-2 6-1 on Sunday to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and extend her winning streak from the start of the season to nine matches.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka was forced to retire due to injury after one set on Friday, sending Belinda Bencic into the round of 16 with a 7-6(3) RET victory. Osaka,

The top seed is probably happy with her decision, because now she has to go up against Andreeva again, in a much bigger event. The last time these two played at a Slam, at Roland Garros in 2024, Andreeva pulled off an upset in three close sets.

Sabalenka's fourth-round challenge will be the 14th seed Mirra Andreeva, who she leads 3-1 in head-to-head record. Andreeva secured her first win against Sabalenka at the French Open quarterfinals last year.

Belinda Bencic (No. 294) will take on Naomi Osaka (No. 51) in the Round of 32 at the Australian Open on Thursday, January 16.Osaka secured a three-set victory over Karolina Muchova (1-6, 6-1, 6-3)

The Australian Open third round begins on Friday with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka kicking things off on Rod Laver Arena while Novak Djokovic resumes his quest for an 11th title.Carlos Alcaraz,

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka raced into the Australian Open quarter-finals while Coco Gauff recovered from a set down to defeat Belinda Bencic.