Aryna Sabalenka moved into the French Open quarter-finals with a composed straight-sets victory over Naomi Osaka in the fourth round under the Paris lights. The world No. 1 recovered from a nervy opening to win 7-5 6-3 in the first women’s night session at Roland-Garros in three years.
Sabalenka, who has now reached at least the quarter-finals in each of her last 14 Grand Slam appearances, will meet Russian Diana Shnaider in the last eight.
“She is such a great player, she plays super aggressive tennis,” Sabalenka said of Osaka. “I’m happy with how I was able to put the pressure back on her. It’s amazing to play the night session in front of all of you. I’m super happy with my serve. I’m super pleased overall with the performance today.”
Osaka began strongly, racing to a 2-0 lead after a Sabalenka double fault, but Sabalenka immediately broke back. She then seized a crucial break to move ahead 6-5 in the opening set, forcing a loose backhand error from the 16th seed.
After a gritty hold made it 3-3 in set two, Sabalenka broke again for 4-3, finishing a long rally with a deft half-volley. Osaka, appearing in the Roland-Garros fourth round for the first time, was unable to mount a sustained comeback and dropped the remaining games. Sabalenka closed out the match on her first match point.
The victory keeps Sabalenka on course as one of the favourites in Paris and extends her impressive streak of deep Grand Slam runs. Live coverage of the tournament is available via broadcasters and streaming services carrying Roland-Garros.