Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka are set to play each other for only the second time on the WTA Tour.
The duo, who are both four-time Grand Slam champions, are set to meet in the Indian Wells round of 16 following their respective victories on Sunday evening.
Sabalenka rarely looked fazed during a 6-4, 6-1 win over Jacqueline Cristian, while Osaka overcame Camila Osorio in three sets, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
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It has been eight years since Sabalenka and Osaka first met on court at the 2018 US Open.
So, what happened that day?
Naomi Osaka beat Aryna Sabalenka in their first meeting on Tour
Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka were both only 20 years old when they met in the 2018 US Open fourth round.
Sabalenka had beaten Danielle Collins, Vera Zvonareva and Petra Kvitova; while Osaka had defeated Laura Siegemund, Julia Glushko and Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
On that day, it was Osaka who emerged victorious.
After taking the first set 6-3, Osaka was pegged back by a resilient Sabalenka, who captured the second set by a scoreline of 6-2.
In the final set, Osaka held her nerve, securing the set 6-4 on her fourth match point.
After the match, Osaka admitted that she would have been devastated, had she not closed out the match.
As per the US Open, she said: “I wouldn’t forgive myself if I managed to lose that. I was just really happy when I won.”
She elaborated on these comments in her press conference, adding: “Mainly because I felt like I had a lot of chances to break her in the third set, then she would serve these really amazing serves.
“Like a part of me knew it was coming, but at the same time I was always very unprepared.
“Yeah, I’m just real glad I was able to win in the end. I don’t know. I was just thinking a little bit negatively of how I would feel if I lost or something.”
Naomi Osaka won her first Grand Slam title
After beating Sabalenka, Osaka comfortably defeated unseeded Lesia Tsurenko 6-1, 6-1 in the quarter-finals.
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Osaka then knocked out Madison Keys in straight sets, setting up a clash with Serena Williams in the final.
Osaka upset the odds, defeating Serena 6-2, 6-4 – winning the first of her four major titles.
The final was marred by controversy after Serena confronted chair umpire Carlos Ramos.
Ramos said he had spotted Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, making hand signals from the player’s box – much to the dismay of the American.
Williams was later docked a point for throwing her racket to the ground, prompting the American to demand an apology from the umpire for his call on the coaching violation while also accusing him of being a ‘liar’ and ‘a thief for stealing a point from me.’
As a result, Ramos handed the 23-time Grand Slam champion a game penalty for the verbal abuse.
The confrontation continued thereafter. However, Osaka was able to impressively maintain her composure before winning the match 6-2, 6-4.
