Victoria Azarenka: 'I'm playing better than in 2013'

Victoria Azarenka has claimed that she is playing better at this year's Australian Open than she did when she won the Grand Slam in 2013.

The Belarusian beat Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova 6-4 6-4 on Saturday to reach the fourth round in Melbourne, where she also won her first major three years ago.

"I would never want to compare [myself now to how I played when I won here] because I think the game itself progressed a lot and I do feel I played better than I was playing two years ago," she told the tournament's official website.

"[I'm working on] being more consistent, being more aggressive, really taking more my chances... so this always can get better. I mean, all aspects of the game I feel I need to get sharper still; match play, endurance."

The former world number one, who is unseeded following an injury-prone year, next faces 2014 runner-up Dominika Cibulkova.