LONDON — In the world of elite sports, striking first often holds the key to victory.
In a thrilling showdown featuring two of the fiercest competitors on the tour, Naomi Osaka embraced that philosophy against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, making waves at this year’s Wimbledon.
Sabalenka had claimed victory in all three encounters with Osaka earlier this season, including a notable match at the same stage during the French Open last month.
“On clay, she pushed me back a lot. This time, I aimed to do it to her first,” Osaka reflected.
Her game plan proved effective, with Osaka overpowering Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 (2), marking her inaugural quarterfinal appearance at the All England Club.
Osaka’s fast-paced, flat groundstrokes proved too much for Sabalenka.
“We’re both big hitters, so I knew I couldn’t just rely on trying to coax errors from her. I focused on leveraging my strengths,” Osaka noted.
“I aimed to serve well, especially on grass, and sought to seize the momentum in rallies right from the start.”
Osaka’s explosive performance resonated, with the warmest match conditions so far this tournament, reaching 28 degrees Celsius (82 Fahrenheit).
“She simply overpowered me,” Sabalenka acknowledged. “Her level was truly remarkable.”
In addition to her victories in Paris, Sabalenka also triumphed over Osaka at Indian Wells and Madrid this year.
“Losing those matches stung a lot,” Osaka admitted. “I was eager to change that narrative.”
As the match concluded, Osaka celebrated with a series of fist pumps, flashing a grin before lifting her racket high and spinning in sheer joy — a true celebration of her first win on Centre Court.
“It’s been ages since I felt this much joy on the court,” Osaka expressed. “Competing here holds a special significance for me.”
Mental health and motherhood
This victory marked Osaka’s first win over a No. 1 ranked player since her success against Ash Barty in 2019. It also marks a poignant return after taking a break for her mental health in 2021 and a maternity leave that kept her off the courts for all of 2023.
Osaka’s daughter celebrated her third birthday on Thursday.
After a tough loss to Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open in May, Osaka confessed she “shut out everyone” from her team, boarding a plane home.
“It wasn’t the most professional response,” she conceded. “I felt ashamed about that. So, I reminded myself, ‘I’m nearing 30; I must cherish the time I have.’ While tennis is important, there’s a life beyond it. I need to value the game without letting it overwhelm me.”
Sabalenka to ‘take a break from tennis’
This marks Sabalenka’s second consecutive Grand Slam where she has not reached the later rounds. Following a shocking defeat against Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarterfinals last month, Sabalenka expressed her frustrations, stating she “just wants to quit tennis.”
Now, she longs to “get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and focus on getting back in shape.”
Both Sabalenka and Osaka boast four Grand Slam titles, all won on hard courts, including the Australian Open and U.S. Open.
Osaka recently reached her first grass-court final, though she had to retire against Karolina Muchova in Bad Homburg due to a foot ailment.
Looking ahead, she will face Muchova again, who triumphed over 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova with a score of 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
Before the match, Osaka made her entrance wearing a striking white kimono, inspired by a character from a Quentin Tarantino film.
Unlike her ensembles at the French Open, where custom designs were crafted post-match, this kimono was created in Japan, limiting new designs for each appearance. Instead, Osaka has been showcasing variations of the same outfit, drawing influence from the anime Bleach.
Osaka impressively saved the only two break points she faced, securing 87% of her first serves compared to Sabalenka’s 69%.
Osaka also led in aces with 8 to Sabalenka’s 5 and in winners with 21 to 15, finishing the match in under one and a half hours.
“What can I do when she’s serving aces and hitting the lines, playing with such confidence?” Sabalenka remarked. “She was unflinching.”
“On that level today,” she added, “I wasn’t playing like a world No. 1.”
In another match, Coco Gauff secured her place in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time, overcoming Belinda Bencic with a score of 4-6, 3-6, 6-4 just before the 11 p.m. curfew.
Gauff is set to face fellow American Jessica Pegula, who dispatched Iva Jovic, also an American, with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Earlier that day, Novak Djokovic achieved his landmark 106th match victory at the All England Club, defeating 132nd-ranked qualifier Roman Safiullin 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Next, Djokovic will take on third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who triumphed over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina with a score of 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1.
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner outperformed Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (0), 6-3 and will now face Jan-Lennard Struff, who advanced after Hubert Hurkacz retired while trailing 4-2 in the fifth set due to an abdominal strain.
