Aryna Sabalenka eased past Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-4 to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals, while Alexander Zverev also progressed in the men's event. The world No 1 and four-time grand slam champion faced Osaka for the first time since 2018, when the Japanese won at the US Open en route to her maiden major title.
Sabalenka's power proved decisive as she broke Osaka early in the first set after two double faults and served out the set with an ace. In the second set, she broke again for a 4-2 lead and closed out victory without dropping a set. 'I'm happy that I put so much pressure on her today,' Sabalenka said. 'My serve worked well.'
Sabalenka, runner-up last year, will face either Canada's Victoria Mboko or American Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Australia's Talia Gibson recorded the biggest win of her career, beating Italy's world No 7 Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in her first match against a top-10 opponent.
In the men's draw, Zverev defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, firing 14 aces to reach the last eight. He will next face France's Arthur Fils, who produced a stunning 6-3, 7-6 (9) win against Félix Auger-Aliassime, saving five set points in the second-set tie-break.
