World number one Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the French Open quarterfinals Monday night, defeating Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-3 in Paris at Roland Garros.
The Belarusian player pushed forward in her quest for her first French Open title, overcoming early struggles in what marked the tournament’s first women’s evening match in three years.
With this victory, Sabalenka extended her impressive streak of reaching the quarterfinals in her past 14 Grand Slam tournaments. She will face Russian Diana Shnaider in the next round.
“She is such a great player, she plays a super aggressive tennis. I’m happy with how I was able to put back the pressure on her. It’s amazing to play the night session in front of all of you guys,” Sabalenka told the Philippe Chatrier crowd after the match, where she entertained fans with a ‘Moon Walk’ celebration.
“I’m super happy with my serve. I’m super pleased overall with the performance today,” she added.
The match began with Osaka taking an early 2-0 advantage after Sabalenka committed a double fault. However, the top-seeded player quickly responded by breaking back and later secured a crucial break for a 6-5 first-set lead with a powerful return that the 16th-seeded Osaka couldn’t handle, sending her backhand into the net.
In the second set, after holding serve to tie at 3-3, Sabalenka broke Osaka’s serve for a 4-3 lead, concluding an extended rally with a skillful half volley.
Osaka, competing in her first fourth-round appearance at the French Open, was unable to mount a comeback and lost the final games of the match, falling on Sabalenka’s first match point opportunity.
