PARIS — In a dazzling show of style, Naomi Osaka may have outshone her opponent in the fashion arena, but when it came to tennis prowess, Aryna Sabalenka emerged triumphant.
On Monday, Sabalenka secured her place in the quarterfinals of the French Open with a decisive 7-5, 6-3 victory over Osaka, inching closer to her goal of conquering the clay-court Grand Slam, where she faced defeat in last year’s final against Coco Gauff.
This match marked the first women’s night encounter at Roland Garros in three years, and Osaka entered the arena in a stunning golden bomber jacket that complemented her shimmering gold sequin dress, complete with an extravagant tulle train.
In contrast, Sabalenka opted for a more traditional look, sporting a slightly sheer black flared tennis dress embellished with a vibrant red underlayer and chic diamond necklaces.
Competing as four-time Grand Slam champions, Sabalenka improved her head-to-head record against Osaka to 3-1, with Osaka making her fourth-round debut at Roland Garros.
Sabalenka’s relentless baseline game overwhelmed Osaka, highlighted by a powerful forehand return winner on her first match point that barely grazed Osaka’s racket.
Criticism surrounded tournament organizers for not featuring more women’s matches during nighttime sessions, with officials citing the shorter duration of best-of-three set matches compared to the men’s best-of-five format.
Sabalenka wrapped up the match in just 1 hour and 27 minutes.
“The atmosphere and the media attention this match garnered could encourage them to schedule more women’s matches at night in the future,” Sabalenka remarked.
Next up for Sabalenka is Diana Shnaider, who triumphed over Madison Keys— the final American woman in the tournament— with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
French hopes dimmed as Diane Parry fell to Poland’s 114th-ranked Maja Chwalinska, losing 6-3, 6-2.
Chwalinska’s impressive journey to the quarterfinals marks her first time beyond the second round of any major tournament, especially notable as she came through three qualifying rounds.
Her next challenge will be against Anna Kalinskaya, who shocked even herself by reaching the last eight after a hard-fought match against Anastasia Potapova, winning 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-7).
“If someone told me two weeks ago that I would be here, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Kalinskaya admitted. “I probably would have laughed with my team.”
Several top female players, including four-time champion Iga Swiatek and No. 2-ranked Elena Rybakina, have already exited the tournament.
In men’s singles, despite top seed Jannik Sinner’s early exit in the second round, Italian fans are celebrating with at least two men advancing to the quarterfinals.
Tenth seed Flavio Cobolli reached his second Grand Slam quarterfinal—and his first at Roland Garros—defeating American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
“This is undoubtedly my favorite Grand Slam,” Cobolli exclaimed after his victory on Court Philippe-Chatrier. “We Italians thrive on this surface.”
Shortly after his win, Cobolli, a former youth soccer player for Italian club Roma, joined Paris Saint-Germain players in celebrating their Champions League win with a trophy parade on the same court.
Next up for Cobolli is No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who completed his own milestone by defeating Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to reach the last eight of all four Grand Slam tournaments. However, he has yet to advance past a Grand Slam semifinal.
“Sinner’s absence from the semifinals creates another opportunity, but you need to seize it,” Auger-Aliassime remarked.
Another Italian, Matteo Berrettini, punched his ticket to the quarterfinals as he triumphed over Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6). This marks Berrettini’s first quarterfinal appearance here since 2021, after a series of setbacks due to injuries.
Finally, Matteo Arnaldi made it three Italians in the quarterfinals by outlasting Frances Tiafoe— the last American man in the draw— in a grueling 5-hour, 26-minute match that ended after 1 a.m. with a scoreline of 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Berrettini and Arnaldi are set to face off against each other in the quarterfinals, guaranteeing that at least one Italian man will advance to the semifinals.
