Aryna Sabalenka said she is thriving under the pressure of being world number one as she took another confident stride towards defending her US Open crown on Sunday.

The 27-year-old from Belarus produced a clinical display to dispatch unseeded Spaniard Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-4, a win that marked her 12th consecutive quarter-final appearance or better in Grand Slam tournaments.

Sabalenka, who will face either Elena Rybakina or Marketa Vondrousova in the last eight, said her consistency is the result of finding balance on and off the court.

"I'm super proud, I think that's an incredible achievement," Sabalenka said. "I think for me the key was balancing on and off-the-court life. I think I've done a great job on balancing really hard work and also great recovery and some fun time outside o

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