In a match that was so important that even the French Open had it played as the featured evening event, Aryna Sabalenka versus Naomi Osaka was sure to be power versus power. The Paris major hadn't had a women's match as the final scheduled match of the day since 2023, ending a run of 33 straight men's matches. This is what Sabalenka and Osaka meant.
The players were also the last participants remaining on either side of the draw to have won a Grand Slam title previously. Neither had ever won Roland Garros.
Sabalenka is the top seed and ranked No. 1 on the WTA tour for several reasons, though. One is that when matches get tight, she often ticks up in form, seemingly relishing the pressure of being great just when she needs to be.
Aryna Sabalenka dispatches Naomi Osaka at the 2026 French Open
This was the case at the end of a brutally powerful first set, with each player hitting winners with seeming ease. Osaka needed to jump out to an early lead, and she did. The set was 2-0 to the Japanese player before the Belarusian broke back and then held serve. When Sabalenka gets even, though, she is often leading.
At 5-all with Osaka serving, she would take only a point in the game, and Sabalenka got the break. The top seed then held at love to take set one 7-5. She was hitting bigger than Osaka throughout the set, finishing with 18 winners to Osaka's 13. Both had 12 unforced errors.
Set two followed the same form. Even at 3-all, Sabalenka got the break and then held. It seemed as if any drama in the match was gone. The Belarusian was simply too strong and too good, and added shots on the move that she rarely pulls off.
To make matters worse for Naomi Osaka, Sabalenka's serve was on point to start the match, and while her first serve fell off in the second set, she crushed her second serve as well.
Needing a hold at 3-5, Osaka was dominated on her serve again by Sabalenka, taking only a point. The Belarusian got a second break to take the second set 6-3. An in-form Aryna Sabalenka has to be a scary thing for the rest of the women's side of the 2026 French Open.
She will next play Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals, a match in which Sabalenka will be the heavy favorite. The favorite part will stay true for as long as she remains playing at this year's Roland Garros.
Add us as a preferred source on Google