Pavlyuchenkova: "I just want to play my best tennis as often as possible".

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's fine run at the Australian Open came to an end in the quarter-finals.

The 33-year-old Russian put up stiff resistance to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, but eventually succumbed in three sets (6-2, 2-6, 6-3).

Present at the press conference after her elimination, the 2021 French Open finalist took stock of her tournament and hopes to build on this fortnight in Melbourne to maintain her positive momentum.

"I've made four quarter-finals here, and others in other Grand Slams. Sometimes it's a question of momentum, or maybe something just clicks.

I feel that this year, in this tournament, I've played really good tennis.

Sometimes you go a long way, but you feel you've had a bit of luck in one match or another.

But here, I felt good and even today, there were moments when I hit the ball well. I felt I was able to rival the world number 1.

When you reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, it gives you strength, but after that, you can very easily lose two or three tournaments in a row in the first rounds.

When that happens, you lose your optimism and motivation again. In general, I've tried to approach the season in a different way, because I'm older.

I've had a good start to the season, so it's up to me to keep that momentum going for the rest of the year. I just want to play my best tennis as often as possible", said the 32nd-ranked player.