Watch: Victoria Azarenka brings son Leo to press conference after 3R win at Australian Open 2022
Victoria Azarenka continued her ascendancy at the 2022 Australian Open, becoming the first player to book her place in the last 16. The 24th seed strolled to a 6-0, 6-2 victory over World No. 17 Elina Svitolina in her third-round match.
2-time champion Victoria Azarenka needed only 67 minutes to beat Elina Svitolina for the fifth time in a row 🔥
She is into the 4th round in Melbourne for the ninth time, where she will meet Barbora Krejcikova 👏
#VictoriaAzarenka #ElinaSvitolina #AustralianOpen https://t.co/fRbSucuDtw
Azarenka showed up to her press conference with five-year-old son Leo, both of whom were rocking a pair of shades. The reporters obliged Leo by asking him how he thought his mother played, to which he replied with a short-but-apt "awesome."
Scenes at the #AusOpen, with Vika Azarenka bringing son Leo to the press conference ahah. https://t.co/Ap8aRRtE7H
The Belarusian was probed over the course of the press conference as to whether having her son with her in Melbourne was a distraction. Azarenka responded in the negative, although noting that "being a parent is not easy."
The two-time Grand Slam champion emphasized that she felt "privileged" to be able to spend so much time with Leo, referring to their moments together as "incredible" and "priceless."
"[Having Leo with me] is definitely not a distraction, I will never say that. Being a parent is not easy. He's full of personality. I don't know where he gets it from obviously," Azarenka said. "But I always feel privileged that I'm able to have him here. These kind of moments are really priceless for me. To be able for me to share that with my son is pretty incredible."
Victoria Azarenka faces Barbora Krejcikova in fourth round of Austalian Open
Following her rout of Svitolina, Victoria Azarenka is poised to take on reigning Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round of the 2022 Australian Open.
Krejcikova had a difficult game against Jelena Ostapenko in the third-round and needed three sets to dispose of the Latvian 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Having lost the first set, the World No. 4 clawed her way back into the contest to book her place in the last 16.
In an intriguing battle, it's @BKrejcikova who comes out on top.
The world No.4 books a fourth round meeting with Victoria Azarenka.
#AO2022 https://t.co/Zkkd9SsUW3
Azarenka said she was looking forward to the clash and praised her opponent's recent form. The World No. 25 hailed Krejcikova's rise of late and emphasized that the Czech player has all the shots in the book.
"I think the rise of Barbora [Krejcikova] has been pretty incredible over the last year and a half, basically since COVID. She seems to kind of elevate her game more and more. She has all the good tools to play. She can play aggressive, she can mix it up."
Azarenka currently leads the head-to-head against Krejcikova 1-0, having won their previous match at the 2020 Ostrava Open 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. With the incredible form she has exhibited in Melbourne so far, the Belarusian is expected to stretch her winning record over World No. 4 even further.