French Open: Sabalenka beats Osaka to reach 14th consecutive major QF
Paris, June 2
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Naomi Osaka in a thrilling fourth-round match at Roland Garros, securing a 7-5, 6-3 victory to advance to her 14th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Sabalenka is the only player left in the women's draw who's played in a major final. She will face No. 25 seed Diana Shnaider next, who booked her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal with a three-set win over No. 19 seed Madison Keys.
Osaka won the first two games of the match as Sabalenka struggled to get going. Five unforced errors -- including a double fault on break point -- handed Osaka the early advantage.
The top seed quickly shook that off. Two clean forehand winners helped pocket a break back, and she cruised on serve for the rest of the match. Not only did she not face a break point for the rest of the match, she was barely pushed past deuce, WTA reports.
The only game that went to deuce on Sabalenka's serve was the sixth game of set two, with Osaka ahead 3-2. A tight tussle in a six-minute game, which immediately followed a 2-2 hold by Osaka where Sabalenka failed to convert break point, sparked a four-game run for Sabalenka that ended the match.
After falling just short of her first French Open title 12 months ago, Sabalenka is fully focused on finishing the job this year.
"I'm not really overthinking, I was able to kind of, like, separate myself from what's going on this year at the Roland Garros," she said. "I have been around. Anything can happen. That's tennis. That's sport, you know?
"I'm just trying, once again, you know, to be focused on myself and make sure that when I'm there competing, I'm bringing my best level that I have, and I'm there, I'm fighting, and you know, I'm doing everything I can to get this trophy."
— IANS
Reader Comments
Naomi Osaka fought well in the first few games but Sabalenka's power game is just too much on clay. The way she recovered after losing the first two games shows champion mentality. Excited to see if she can go all the way! 🏆
Great match but I have to say, the WTA really misses Serena Williams. Sabalenka and Osaka are good but there's no aura around them like Serena had. Still, good to see quality tennis at Roland Garros. Hope Sabalenka doesn't choke in the final like last year.
Sabalenka's mental strength is impressive! From 0-2 down to winning 7-5, 6-3 shows she's learned from past mistakes. But let's not forget Osaka is coming back from maternity leave, so this is still a great result for her. Tennis is better with both of them playing well! 😊
Honestly, I find Sabalenka's game a bit one-dimensional. Power from the baseline works on clay but against a crafty player like Swiatek or a counterpuncher, she might struggle. Let's see how she handles Shnaider who's been playing really well. But credit where due, 14 QFs in a row is no joke! 🎾💪
Sabalenka's quote about not overthinking is key. Indian players should learn from this - our athletes often get too tense in big moments. Just focus on your game and everything else follows. Rooting for her to win the title! 🇮🇳🤞
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.