Sabalenka Overcomes Osaka in Madrid Open Thriller
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka secured a hard-fought 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-2 victory over Naomi Osaka on Monday, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open.
Sabalenka, who has already won titles this year in Miami, Indian Wells, and Brisbane, faced a stern challenge from the Japanese player in their fourth-round encounter. Despite losing the first set and falling behind a break in the second, Sabalenka rallied to claim the win.
“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 that I didn’t give up and I was pushing until the very last point,” said Sabalenka.
Match Details and Set-by-Set Breakdown
The opening set was closely contested between the two four-time Grand Slam champions. Sabalenka managed to create only one break point, which Osaka saved to maintain her 2-1 lead. The set culminated in a tie-break where Osaka dominated, quickly establishing a 5-0 lead before Sabalenka’s wide return handed Osaka the set.
In the second set, Sabalenka elevated her game. Although Osaka, ranked world No. 15, showed resilience by saving three break points and even securing a break to lead 2-1, Sabalenka responded immediately with a break to love. She then broke again in the eighth game and served out the set to level the match.
Only Elena Rybakina has defeated Sabalenka this year, in the Australian Open final. In the decisive third set, Sabalenka dominated, breaking Osaka’s serve in the fifth and seventh games while maintaining strong service games herself. Osaka was unable to apply pressure on Sabalenka’s serve during this set.
Sabalenka sealed the victory by serving an ace to love, securing her place in the quarter-finals where she will 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 added.
Other Notable Results in the Madrid Open
In the men’s draw, Casper Ruud advanced to the last 16 with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Daniel Merida 6-4, 6-2 to also reach the next round.
