Aryna Sabalenka is the clear No. 1 on the WTA tour currently, but once Naomi Osaka was in the same position, of course. Both are multi-time Grand Slam winners, and it is easy to forget that the Japanese player is still only 28 years old, just a year older than the Belarusian. This all helped make up an intriguing showdown in the round of 16 at the Madrid Open.
The top-seed was, of course, favored heading into the match, but if Osaka was playing in top form, she was capable of pushing Sabalenka groundstroke for groundstroke and powerful serve for powerful serve. This is exactly what happened in the first set.
Osaka was the only one to face a break point, but she saved that. Each won more than 80 percent of their first serves, too. The one-sidedness of the eventual tie-break was all the more shocking based on what had come before. Osaka roared to a 7-1 win, but beating Sabalenka would seemingly likely take a three-set victory, though.
Aryna Sabalenka pushes past Namo Osaka at the 2026 Madrid Open
In the second game of the second set, Sabalenka had opportunities to break in an extremely long game, but couldn't. In the next game, Osaka did and appeared on the verge of taking full control of a match that neither player could keep a grasp on for very long.
That was further proven in the next game as Sabalenka broke at love to get back to even. The greatness of the Belarusian has always been multi-faceted. She clearly has great skill and immense power, but her mental strength is one of her best traits. She wouldn't be easily defeated.
Seemingly on every service game for Osaka in the second set, Sabalenka had break chances. The Belarusian finally broke through while leading 4-3, and then held easily in her next try to take the set 6-3. Osaka wasn't playing poorly, but Sabalenka had raised her game, and Osaka would need to match that in the third set.
She couldn't. The Belarusian kept raising her game, and Naomi Osaka wilted. The WTA No. 1 broke her opponent twice in the third set and won 100 percent of the first serves she landed. For all the drama of the first two sets, there was none in the final set. Sabalenka dominated 6-2.
Aryna Sabalenka will next face Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters. The American defeated Belinda Bencic in the round of 16 in three sets.
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