Osaka knocks out top-seeded Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon quarterfinals

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkNaomi Osaka's previous best runs at Wimbledon, including last year, ended in the third round [Kirill Kudryavsev/AFP]By AFPPublished On 5 Jul 20265 Jul 2026Naomi Osaka has stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) victory as the Japanese star moved into the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.Osaka avenged a straight-sets defeat against Sabalenka in the French Open last 16 in June by eliminating her fellow four-time Grand Slam champion with a superb display on Centre Court on Sunday.It has been five years since Osaka lifted her most recent Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open.Revitalised by coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who mentored Iga Swiatek, the 28-year-old reached the semifinals of the US Open last year and has carried that momentum into 2026.Osaka is yet to drop a set across her opening four matches at Wimbledon.Seeded 14th, she is finally finding her groove on grass, helped by the eye-catching outfits she arrives on court wearing.Her walk-on costumes have included a kimono, a bomber jacket with a long train, and a cloak that looks like an open kimono.The 28-year-old believes all the talk about her haute couture has taken the pressure off her tennis.Once again, she treated fans to a memorable outfit before delivering a tailor-made performance that left Sabalenka’s Wimbledon challenge in tatters in the last 16.Osaka faces Czechia’s 10th seed Karolina Muchova for a place in the last four.“For me, this court is so special. This is the first match I’ve won on this court. It means a lot,” Osaka said after her win.“It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun on the court, and to do it here really means a lot.“I lost to her three times in a row. That really sucked. I wanted to have the opportunity to overturn that.”Naomi Osaka (L) shakes hands with Aryna Sabalenka (R) at the net after their match on day seven of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. [Geoff Burke/Reuters]Win powered by mum’s home-cooked mealsPraising her mother’s home cooking, who was watching from the players’ box, for inspiring her success over the last week, Osaka added: “She cooks a lot. I feel like her cooking is powering me. I would like another meal tonight. She cooks a lot of Japanese food.”Osaka and Sabalenka had already collided three times in 2026, with the Belarusian winning on the hard courts of Indian Wells and on clay in Madrid and Roland Garros.But the 28-year-old’s bid for a 15th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal came to an abrupt halt.Sabalenka had lost in the semifinals on each of her past three visits to Wimbledon and has never made the final.The Belarusian suffered a surprise loss to Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarterfinals and this was another painful result for a player with a history of unexpected meltdowns.Osaka broke in the third game of the first set with a blistering back-hand that fizzed past Sabalenka.Blasting fierce groundstrokes from the baseline, Osaka rattled Sabalenka to such an extent that the Belarusian let out an anguished scream after being broken for a second time.Notorious for struggling in windy conditions, Sabalenka was completely out of rhythm and stormed off court for a break before the second set.Sabalenka repeatedly banged the racquet against her head as Osaka took the set to a tie-break. She had won her last 21 tie-breaks at Grand Slams, but Osaka was unfazed, powering to victory with a flourish.