WTA Week in Review: The star of the week, breakthrough of the week and more
It was quite the busy week on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
The 128-player field at the Australian Open has been trimmed down to eight, with a star-studded group of quarterfinalists that should provide an epic finish to the first Grand Slam of 2026.
Here's everything that went down this week on the WTA Tour, and the most notable moments that caught our eye.
The Star of the Week
Aryna Sabalenka
In the absence of a champion on tour this week, this honor could go to any number of players. But we'll give it to World No. 1 Sabalenka, who has yet to drop a set in Melbourne. In fact, she hasn't dropped a set all season (18 straight to start the year).
Her most recent win, a 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory over Victoria Mboko, sent her to the Australian Open quarterfinals for the fourth straight year, and she remains the favorite to win her third Australian Open.
The Most Inspiring Performance of the Week
Maddison Inglis
This past week was nothing short of life-changing for the 28-year-old Australian, who's gained a ton of fans for her performance on court and vulnerability off it.
After coming back from two match points down in her first qualifying match, the World No. 168 won her next two matches to make the main draw. She then defeated her best friend, Kimberly Birrell, in a three-hour battle in the first round, and after the match got emotional and real about the challenge of competing on this stage against someone she's so close to.
Inglis won another wild three-setter over Laura Siegemund in the second round -- 10-7 in the third-set tiebreaker -- and then advanced to the fourth round, a career best, after Naomi Osaka withdrew from their match with an abdominal injury.
Her memorable run came to an end with a 6-0, 6-3 loss to Iga Swiatek.
The Rising Star of the Week
Iva Jovic
We've talked about Jovic as a rising star for some time now, but this week has been a breakthrough. The last teenager standing, outlasting both Mirra Andreeva and Mboko, the 18-year-old has yet to drop a set in Melbourne, and her signature win was a 6-2, 7-6 (3) upset of seventh seed Jasmine Paolini.
Jovic is into her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she'll meet the stiffest test of her career in Sabalenka.
The Upset of the Week
Nikola Bartunkova d. Belinda Bencic, Australian Open second round
Speaking of teenagers, how about 19-year-old Bartunkova taking out 10th-seeded Bencic, who came into that match with a 12-match winning streak?
The World No. 126, who came through qualifying, was playing in her first Grand Slam main draw ever.
Bartunkova, who also beat Daria Kasatkina earlier in the week, lost in the third round to Elise Mertens.
The Dominant Match of the Week
Iva Jovic d. Yulia Putintseva, Australian Open fourth round
Putintseva was absolutely fired up after defeating Zeynep Sonmez in front of a heavily pro-Sonmez crowd. But the World No. 94 was no match for Jovic in her next match. The American rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 win in just 53 minutes. In doing so, she became the youngest American on the WTA Tour to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals since Venus Williams in 1998.
The Comeback of the Week
Laura Siegemund d. Liudmila Samsonova, Australian Open first round
This one fell a bit under the radar, with so many matches happening around it, but the 37-year-old came from 6-0, 5-2 down -- and saved two match points -- to knock off 18th seed Samsonova in the first round.
The Shot of the Week
Coco's no-look pass
Pardon us for not yet mentioning Gauff, who is into her third straight Australian Open quarterfinal. The World No. 3 looked great in her fourth-round win over Karolina Muchova, especially during this point, which ended with a no-look forehand pass that wowed the crowd.
The Fashion Statement of the Week
Osaka's iconic fit
No-brainer here. Osaka delivered as only Osaka can, arriving to Rod Laver Arena in style with a parasol, a veil and a gigantic hat decorated with butterflies. The fit broke the internet, and the four-time Grand Slam champion backed up the elaborate entrance on court with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Antonia Ruzic.
The Stat of the Week
Sabalenka sets a new standard for Grand Slam tiebreaks
How clutch is the World No. 1? Sabalenka has now won 20 straight tiebreaks at Grand Slams, breaking the previous record held by Novak Djokovic. Sabalenka hasn't lost a tiebreak at a Slam since the 2023 French Open.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has won three tiebreaks already this week -- two against Anastasia Potapova in the third round and another against Mboko in the fourth.
The Social Star of the Week
Mirra Andreeva
Andreeva was on point all week, cracking the crowd up with her antics before and after matches. Her reaction to the point between Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe was priceless, and she also entertained herself by wheeling her coach around and making phantom phone calls.
No one had more fun than Andreeva in Melbourne last week.