Aryna Sabalenka passed one of her sternest tests yet in her pursuit of a maiden French Open crown on Monday, overpowering Naomi Osaka 7-5 6-3 in a pulsating duel to power into the quarter-finals of the claycourt Grand Slam.
Playing in the first women’s night-session match at Roland Garros in three years, the Belarusian recovered from a ragged opening to extend her remarkable consistency at majors, where she has reached at least the quarter-finals in her last 14 appearances.
“She is such a great player, she plays super aggressive tennis,” Sabalenka said on court before delighting the crowd by showing off a playful moonwalk. “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.
“I’m super happy with my serve. I’m super pleased overall with the performance today.”
Osaka, playing in the fourth round of the French Open for the first time, exploded out of the blocks and raced into a 2-0 lead after a Sabalenka double fault.
The world number one responded immediately, hammering her way back into the contest with the kind of relentless power that has made her the dominant force in women’s tennis this season.
At 5-5 in the opening set, Sabalenka landed the first major blow, crushing a vicious return at Osaka’s feet to snatch the break as the Japanese player dumped a backhand into the net.
In the second set, Sabalenka’s weight of shot gradually suffocated Osaka. After surviving a grinding service game to level at 3-3, she produced a feather-soft half-volley winner at the end of a punishing rally to break for 4-3 and seize complete control.
She next takes on Russia’s Diana Shnaider, who shrugged off a second set blip to overcome American Madison Keys 6-3 3-6 6-0 in another stunning upset of a major champion at the claycourt Grand Slam this year.
Anna Kalinskaya also continued her journey into a maiden French Open quarter-final with a 6-4 2-6 7-6(7) win over 28th seed Anastasia Potapova, marking only the second time that the Russian has entered that stage of a Grand Slam.
—Reuters—
