For the first time in her career, Aryna Sabalenka will play into the second week at Wimbledon.
The No.2 seed continued her career-best run at the All-England Club on Friday with an emphatic 6-0, 6-3 win over Colombian qualifier Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, ending the teenager's five match winning streak and her deepest run at a major.
In a first set that was closer than the bagel might indicate, the teenage qualifier, already having an incredible Wimbledon debut, had more than her fair share of opportunities to push the No.2 seed on the scoreboard: in five of the six games played, Osorio Serrano had either a break point or game point.
"The score was 6-Love in the first set, but it wasn't that easy. Every game, we were playing... there was deuce and some advantage for her. She had a lot of breakpoints. I saved it," Sabalenka said.
"It was tough, tough first set. The second set also. It was not easy game against her. Really happy to win this match. Looking forward for the next week."
After going 0-for-6 on her chances on Sabalenka's serve in the opener, Osorio Serrano broke twice in the second set and extended her Wimbledon debut for another changeover while facing a 6-0, 5-1 deficit and Sabalenka serving for the match.
In her sixth match of the fortnight after coming through qualifying, the Colombian took her first, and only, lead of the match by breaking at 15 in the first game, and extended the encounter by winning back-to-back games before the No.2 seed eventually sealed the win in 75 minutes.
The pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam singles title continues...
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2021
No. 2 seed @SabalenkaA seals an impressive 6-0, 6-3 win over Maria Camila Osorio Serrano to progress to the fourth round#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/xrGxlMqa8x
For a place in the quarterfinals, Sabalenka will face No.18 seed Elena Rybakina, who booked her spot in the fourth round in her debut Wimbledon main draw by beating American Shelby Rogers in 65 minutes, 6-1, 6-4.
The pair have played twice on hard courts with Sabalenka winning both matches in three sets, including in the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi in January.
"I feel like Wimbledon, it's a special place. It's a special surface. I don't know. It's special atmosphere out here. I don't know. I enjoy it like... nowhere else," Sabalenka said.
"Every match, it's a new match. You never know what's going to happen. You just need to bring your level on the court and fight for every point. This is what I'm doing on the court.
"I'm happy with these matches which I won, but it's already in the past. I want to focus, stay in the moment. I'm trying to focus on my game and just fight for every point, every opportunity I have."
Rounding out these second-week debutantes is Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic, whose best-ever Grand Slam continued as she cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over American Madison Brengle, who took out her fourth-seeded compatriot Sofia Kenin in the previous round.
Golubic, who beat No.29 seed Veronika Kudermetova in the opening round in a marathon 3-6, 6-1, 11-9 match, dropped just five games combined against Danielle Collins and Brengle to reach the second week at a Grand Slam for the first time.
The 28-year-old's previous best Grand Slam result also came at Wimbledon: a third round showing in 2019, where she beat the then-reigning Wimbledon junior champion, Iga Swiatek, in the first round.