Naomi Osaka has booked her spot in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the very first time after stunning Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday evening.
Osaka, seeded 14th in south-west London, defeated the world number one 6-2, 7-6.
The Japanese star said the match was ‘really fun’ during her post-match speech, while also thanking Tomasz Witkowski and her coaching team.
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Sabalenka later acknowledged that Osaka had ‘overpowered’ her during the match.
Osaka has since responded to that claim.
Naomi Osaka responds to ‘overpowering’ Aryna Sabalenka during Wimbledon victory
“It was a really difficult match, but I’ve played her a couple times this year, so I just tried to focus on the things that I’m good at and, yeah, the positives that I could keep I guess thinking about moving forward in the match,” Osaka said during her post-match press conference.
Before Sunday, Osaka had lost all three of her previous matches against Sabalenka this year.
These losses occurred in Miami, Madrid and at Roland Garros.
When asked how she managed to ‘flip the script’ against Sabalenka, Osaka said: “Tactically there’s only so much you can do against her.
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“I think obviously we’re big ball strikers. I think from my end, it’s not like I’m going to start running around the court trying to draw an error from her.
“I can only focus on my strengths.
“I just tried to serve really well because it’s grass. I also tried to get the upper hand in the rallies first. That just happened to work really well today.”
Sabalenka conceded that Osaka had overpowered her during Sunday’s contest, describing it as ‘strange.’
This matter was later put to Osaka.
“Yeah, [I overpowered her] a little,” Osaka began. “I tried my best because I remember on the clay courts I felt like she was pushing me back a lot. I just tried to do it to her first.
The Japanese star, who will play 10th seed Karolina Muchová in the next round, offered some insight into her pre-match discussions with coach Tomasz Witkowski.
“I had a talk with Tomasz before the match. He was very clear to tell me not to focus on the score,” she said. “So actually, I wasn’t very conscious of the scoreline during the entire match.
Players confirmed for the Wimbledon quarter-finals
- Naomi Osaka
- Karolina Muchova
- Jessica Pegula
“I was just trying to play point by point, because the last time I played her, not counting French Open, but in Madrid, like when I won the first set, I was very conscious of trying to close it out.”
“This time I just tried to play it game by game.”
Naomi Osaka ends Aryna Sabalenka’s six-year run
As reported by OptaAce, Naomi Osaka is the first player to defeat Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at a Grand Slam since Victoria Azarenka at the 2020 US Open.
Azarenka, a two-time major singles champion, defeated Sabalenka 6-1, 6-3 in the second round.
Azarenka went on to reach the quarter-finals, where she lost to Elise Mertens.
After losing to Osaka on Sunday, Sabalenka will now shift her attention towards the North American hard-court swing.
Last year, Sabalenka only played the Cincinnati Open and US Open during the swing.
