World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka overcame Naomi Osaka 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-2 in a gripping fourth-round battle at the Madrid Open on Monday to secure her place in the quarter-finals. The Belarusian, who has already claimed titles this year in Miami, Indian Wells, and Brisbane, faced a stern test from the Japanese four-time Grand Slam winner but demonstrated resilience after dropping the first set and falling a break down in the second.
First Set Drama
The opening set was tightly contested, with only one break point opportunity—earned by Sabalenka—which Osaka saved to hold serve for 2-1. Osaka then dominated the tie-break, racing to a 5-0 lead and clinching the set when Sabalenka sent a return wide.
Sabalenka Fights Back
Sabalenka elevated her game in the second set, though Osaka, ranked 15th, showed grit by saving three break points before engineering a break to lead 2-1. The Belarusian responded immediately, breaking back to love and then again in the eighth game to level the match by taking the second set.
Decisive Third Set
With only Elena Rybakina having defeated Sabalenka this year (in the Australian Open final), the 27-year-old seized control in the third set. She broke Osaka in the fifth and seventh games, while Osaka could not threaten Sabalenka's serve. Sabalenka sealed victory by serving to love, finishing with an ace to reach the last eight.
“I was just trying to take one ball at a time and my team was there for me. They really pushed me to keep fighting and I’m really happy I didn’t give up and I was pushing until the very last point,” Sabalenka said.
Quarter-Final Opponent
Sabalenka will next face American Hailey Baptiste. “She’s an incredible player, we had a really tight match in Miami, and especially here in Madrid where I think this surface suits her game,” Sabalenka noted. “She played incredible tennis. I feel like I just got lucky in a couple shots in the third set, that’s why it went that fast. I’m happy she brought that fight, I had to fight through to level up my game.”
Men's Draw Highlights
In the men's draw, Casper Ruud advanced to the last 16 with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Daniel Merida 6-4, 6-2.
