Aryna Sabalenka was in great spirits after progressing to the Wimbledon quarterfinal and praised the crowd by funnily stating that this time there was no need to "pretend" that they were supporting her.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka overcame a battling Elise Mertens to reach the quarter-finals and stay on course for a first Wimbledon title .

Sabalenka, the world No. 1 from Belarus, has not dropped a set this tournament. She is 3-for-3 in tiebreakers thus far and has qualified for her 11th consecutive quarterfinal in a Grand Slam.