By Chalien Dantes

Aryna Sabalenka’s quest for a Wimbledon title this year nearly came crashing down at the hands of an inspired Laura Siegemund, but the world No. 1 dug deep to pull out a nail-biting  4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory.

The Belarusian, a finalist in the last three Grand Slams, looked rattled against the crafty German veteran, who ranked No. 104 and was better known for doubles, pushed her to the brink with relentless slices and precision returns.

Twice, Sabalenka trailed by a break in the decider, but she ultimately prevailed after a gruelling 2-hour-and-54-minute battle.

The 37-year-old Siegemund had never before reached the third round in singles at Wimbledon, yet she came agonisingly close to staging one of the tournament’s greatest upsets.

Sabalenka, now the clear favourite after a wave of early top seed exits, will next face American Amanda Anisimova, who edged past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6.