Sabalenka Outshines Osaka Again to make it 14 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals

Walking on to fabled court Philippe-Chatrier on Monday evening, Naomi Osaka shone like the Eiffel Tower at night. Aryna Sabalenka had more shimmer and glimmer in her tennis, however, as she claimed a 7-5, 6-3 win in a battle of four-time major champions.

Excitement was in the air as two women took the court for a Roland Garros night session for the first time in three years. And the pair of power brokers put on a brilliant display, with Sabalenka holding sway over the Japanese megastar for the third time this season.

They are two players that play the same style, but Sabalenka does the nuances better. She covered the court brilliantly, served to her spots more efficiency and tossed in a steady diet of drop shots to keep Osaka out of her comfort zone.

In the end the performance did well to reinforce Sabalenka’s status as the prohibitive favorite in a draw that has lost every top 5 seed but her.

Sabalenka hit 39 winners to just 20 for Osaka, and broke Osaka’s serve four times.

Despite the loss it was a step forward for Osaka in Paris, as she reached the fourth round for the first time.

Sabalenka will face Russia’s Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals. She has won 13 of her previous 14 Grand Slam quarterfinals. She is the first WTA player to reach the quarterfinals in 14 consecutive Grand Slam appearances since Serena Williams, who reached 16 straight Slam quarterfinals from 2000 to 2005.