Sabalenka Overcomes Osaka to Reach Miami Open Quarter-Finals
World number one Aryna Sabalenka recovered from a set and a break deficit to defeat Japan's Naomi Osaka in the fourth round of the Miami Open, advancing to the quarter-finals.
The four-time Grand Slam champion secured her 15th consecutive victory of the year and her ninth straight win in Miami by prevailing 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-2 in a match lasting two hours and 20 minutes on Monday.
At 27 years old, Sabalenka had not been defeated in Miami since 2023 but faced a strong challenge early from fellow four-time major winner Osaka, who displayed some of her best tennis this season.
Defending champion Sabalenka is set to face American Hailey Baptiste in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Baptiste earned her spot by defeating Belinda Bencic 6-1, 6-7 (14-16), 6-3 in the fourth round.
Sabalenka previously defeated the 24-year-old Baptiste in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open last month en route to winning the title.
Post-Match Comments
After the match, Sabalenka praised Osaka's performance, noting the quality of her tennis since returning from a 14-month break following the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023.
"[Osaka] played incredible tennis," Sabalenka said. "The third set went by so fast because I felt I had got lucky with some of my shots."
"I'm happy [Osaka] brought that fight, I had to fight through to level up my game," she added. Sabalenka had also beaten Osaka in the fourth round at Indian Wells in March.
Match Details
Osaka, 28, dominated the first-set tiebreak and broke Sabalenka's serve early in the second set to lead 2-1. However, Sabalenka responded immediately with a 40-0 game to level the set at 2-2.
After breaking Osaka again to take a 5-3 lead, Sabalenka served out the second set to force a deciding third set.
In the final set, Sabalenka conceded only three points and concluded the match with her sixth ace of the afternoon.
Sabalenka, who has also won titles at Indian Wells and Brisbane earlier this year, continues her pursuit of a fourth Miami Open title.
