Mature performance sends Aryna Sabalenka into fourth straight major quarterfinal at Wimbledon

WATCH: Sabalenka talked about her friendship with Novak Djokovic in press on Monday.

Aryna Sabalenka can’t relate to teen phenoms.

“When I was 16, I was going crazy and I was hitting wrong targets all over the court,” she said when asked about Mirra Andreeva in press on Monday, “but not in court.”

Though Sabalenka has already been across the from the ascendant young Russian, she won’t play her for the opportunity to reach a second career Wimbledon semifinal as experience won out on (formerly) Manic Monday. She will instead face 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys after outhitting an in-form Russian of her own on Court No. 1, smoking Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-4, 6-0.

Sabalenka weathered moments of patchier play in her first three rounds to reach the second week of a fourth straight major tournament. Still, she undoubtedly had to raise her level against Alexandrova, who can match the No. 2 seed’s power and beat her in straight sets on grass last summer.

If you want to be in the top of the ranking, on the top of the ranking, you have to be good in each surface.Aryna Sabalenka

Trading tense service holds through the first nine games, Sabalenka scored a crucial break and never looked back, winning eight games in a row to ease into the last eight in 71 minutes flat.

“Actually, it was a little surprise that I won that set that easily, especially against a player like Ekaterina, who is serving really well,” she said after the match.

It was perhaps that awareness that kept Sabalenka from getting complacent in the same way that derailed her at Roland Garros only a month ago.

“I lost very tough match in Paris leading 5-2,” she added, referencing her heartbreaking defeat to Karolina Muchova. “I was up with one break. So, like today, I thought I'll just keep going, keep breaking her serve as much as I can so I give myself a little bit, like, a gap. I can serve even with more freedom.”

With a mature mindset, the sort of pressure that crushed Andreeva from a set and 4-1 up on against was something Sabalenka could view as an opportunity, a challenge that that inspired her to three breaks and a 27-minute second set.

Sabalenka can also look towards the future in a way that sees beyond any individual winner’s circle—even as a second Grand Slam title starts to come into focus.

“I think grass court can also help you to improve your game for the hard court,” she mused. “You're dealing with these low, deep shots. On the hard court, it's a little bit easier to play because you feel like you have more time.”

She will need all the time she can get against Keys, one of the few women on tour who can match the Australian Open champion for both speed and weight of shot. Their last match came on grass in 2021, with Keys emerging victorious in three sets in Berlin.

“Her forehand can be really annoying,” said Sabalenka, who remains in the hunt for the No. 1 ranking along with top seed Iga Swiatek. “She's hitting some really big shots from there. Serving really well. Playing pretty fast game.”

Might friend Novak Djokovic help handicap her shot at returning to the semis? If the seven-time Wimbledon champion has given her any tips, she was reluctant to share them in press.

“It's really good to have someone like Novak, a friend-like someone like Novak. You can always ask for advice. I mean, I really appreciate for his help to me.”

True maturity, it turns out, is the understanding that you still have room to grow.