Naomi Osaka Defeats World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to Reach First Wimbledon Quarterfinal

Naomi Osaka has reached her first ever Wimbledon quarterfinal after beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6(2) on Centre Court on Sunday 5 July. The 28-year-old Japanese star, seeded 14th at this year’s Championships, completed the win in one hour and 28 minutes, ending Sabalenka’s streak of 14 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals in the process.

The result carried several notable records. It was Osaka’s first win over Sabalenka in eight years, since the 2018 US Open, the tournament Osaka went on to win for her maiden Grand Slam title. Sabalenka had beaten her in all three of their meetings in 2026 before Sunday. The win also ended Sabalenka’s run of 21 consecutive Grand Slam tiebreaks won, the longest such streak in the Open Era including the men’s game, with Osaka taking the second-set tiebreak 7-2. Osaka is now yet to drop a set across her four matches at Wimbledon, and her grass-court record stands at 8-1 this season, the most grass-court wins she has ever recorded in a single calendar year.

Osaka established early dominance, breaking Sabalenka’s serve with a backhand winner to lead 2-1 in the opening set before wrapping it up 6-2. In a highly competitive second set, Osaka assumed control of the tiebreak with deep, steady baseline hitting, capitalising on a string of unforced errors from Sabalenka. Osaka converted her second match point with a forehand return winner.

Speaking on court after the match, Osaka credited her team and her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski:

The big Polish man, shout out Tomasz, shout out my team. My team is the best team ever. I have so much fun with them, I’ve learned so much and I’m so grateful that they’re on this journey with me.

She also credited her mother’s cooking for fueling her performance. “She cooks a lot. I feel like her cooking is powering me. I would like another meal tonight.”

Away from the tennis court, Osaka has turned the traditional Wimbledon walk-on into a major style event. Her tournament wardrobe is custom-designed by Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi.

For the Sabalenka match, she arrived on Centre Court wearing a draped, layered Japanese ceremonial-style kimono. Her previous tournament looks included a gown with three-dimensional embroidery of cranes and cherry blossoms, bell sleeves, and an obi belt, alongside a custom bomber jacket featuring a long train.

When asked about her upcoming outfit for the quarterfinals, Osaka noted, “I don’t know. I might dial it back a little bit.”

Osaka will face Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals on Tuesday on No. 1 Court. The matchup is a direct rematch of the Bad Homburg final nine days ago, where Osaka was forced to retire due to a foot issue. Their career head-to-head record is currently tied at 3-3.

Watch highlights of their match

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