Aryna Sabalenka defeated Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-4 to reach the Indian Wells quarterfinals.
The Belarusian delivered another impressive performance to beat her fellow four-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets.
She hit the ball as hard as ever, but also added some variety to her game, particularly with the serve and volley.
Who is your money on?
During her post-match interview with Sky Sports, Sabalenka addressed the tactical change, praising her coach, Max Mirnyi.
Aryna Sabalenka says Max Mirnyi has helped ‘a lot’ since joining her team
Mirnyi, a former Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles champion, joined Sabalenka’s team in 2025.
Sabalenka has enjoyed the support of her compatriot, who has imparted his wisdom on the world number one.
“He brought a lot, he’s such a nice guy, he knows tennis really well,” she said.
“Not only serve and volley, he also helped me in baseline strokes, he helped a lot, very smart approach.
“We’re so happy to have him.
“Hopefully in the future, I’ll do more serve and volley, and you’ll see me more at the net.”
- FACT – Max Mirnyi once coached Kei Nishikori
If Sabalenka can start to effectively use the serve and volley on a regular basis, the rest of the WTA Tour could be in real trouble!
Putting the technique to good use against Osaka, Sabalenka eased past the Japanese star in just 1 hour, 20 minutes.
“I’m super happy with the performance today, I think I played really great tennis,” said Sabalenka.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Naomi Osaka – Match stats
| Stat | Aryna Sabalenka | Naomi Osaka |
| Aces | 8 | 4 |
| Double faults | 0 | 4 |
| 1st Serve % | 75% | 63% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 76% | 58% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 50% | 57% |
| Break points | 3/9 | 0/2 |
“Overall, super happy with the level I played, especially against someone like Naomi, who can always come back, aggressive player, very tough matches, match in the past!
“It’s crazy to believe that we only played once, but happy, happy with the win.”
Sabalenka and Osaka had only met once before, eight years ago, at the US Open.
On that occasion, Osaka won in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
She went on to win the tournament…
Can Sabalenka go on to win Indian Wells, having levelled her head-to-head with Osaka? Only time will tell.
Who will Aryna Sabalenka play next?
Next up for Sabalenka is a quarterfinal tie against either Victoria Mboko or Amanda Anisimova.
The Belarusian met Mboko for the first time earlier this year at the Australian Open.
Sabalenka made light work of the Canadian, 6-1, 7-6, in the fourth round.
She hasn’t had quite so much success against Anisimova.
In fact, it’s the American who leads their head-to-head, 6-5.
Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 WTA Finals – SF | Aryna Sabalenka | Amanda Anisimova | 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 2025 US Open – F | Aryna Sabalenka | Amanda Anisimova | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2025 Wimbledon – SF | Amanda Anisimova | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 2025 French Open – 4R | Aryna Sabalenka | Amanda Anisimova | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2024 Canadian Open – QF | Amanda Anisimova | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2024 Australian Open – 4R | Aryna Sabalenka | Amanda Anisimova | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2022 Italian Open – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | Amanda Anisimova | 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2022 Madrid Open – 1R | Amanda Anisimova | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 |
| 2022 Charleston Open – 3R | Amanda Anisimova | Aryna Sabalenka | 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2019 French Open – 2R | Amanda Anisimova | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2019 Australian Open – 3R | Amanda Anisimova | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-3, 6-2 |
Sabalenka does, however, have the momentum, winning five of their last seven encounters.
It remains to be seen who Sabalenka will play in the quarters, but looking at those numbers, you can imagine who she’d prefer!
Sabalenka will play her Indian Wells quarterfinal match on Thursday, March 12.
