Osaka topples Sabalenka to blow Wimbledon draw wide open as top three seeds all exit
Naomi Osaka delivered a commanding 6-2, 7-6(2) victory over world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Wimbledon fourth round, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time and leaving the women's draw without its top three seeds.
Naomi Osaka produced a superb performance on Centre Court to eliminate top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6(2) and advance to her first Wimbledon quarter-final. The 14th seed dominated the opening set in 32 minutes and stayed calm in a second-set tiebreak, snapping Sabalenka's streak of 21 consecutive Grand Slam tiebreak wins.
Top seeds tumble
Osaka's win completed an extraordinary 24 hours for the women's draw. On Saturday, defending champion Iga Swiatek (No.3) and second seed Elena Rybakina both lost in the third round. Sabalenka's defeat means the top three seeds are all out before the quarter-finals, a scenario that leaves the tournament without its three highest-ranked players. Sabalenka had reached the semi-finals in each of her previous three Wimbledon appearances but never made the final.
- Iga Swiatek (No.3) and Elena Rybakina (No.2) both lose in the third round.
- Osaka defeats Sabalenka (No.1) 6-2, 7-6(2) in the fourth round.
- Osaka faces Karolina Muchova in the quarter-finals.
Osaka's resurgence
The 28-year-old Japanese player, a four-time Grand Slam champion, had never previously gone beyond the third round at Wimbledon. She is yet to drop a set in her first four matches this year. Osaka credited her mother's home-cooked Japanese food for powering her run and said the attention on her elaborate walk-on outfits (a kimono, a bomber jacket with a train, and a cloak) had taken pressure off her tennis. Coached by Tomasz Wiktorowski, who previously worked with Swiatek, Osaka reached the US Open semi-finals last year and has carried that momentum into 2026.
It's been a long time since I've had so much fun on the court. To do it here, it really means a lot. I lost to her like three times in a row, so that really sucked. So I wanted to turn it over.
Sabalenka's frustration
Sabalenka, also a four-time major winner, suffered her earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2022 French Open and her first straight-sets loss at a major in 122 matches. After losing match point she blasted a ball out of the stadium and later told reporters she wanted to "get drunk and forget about tennis." The Belarusian had beaten Osaka in all three of their 2026 meetings (Indian Wells, Madrid, Roland Garros) but could not handle Osaka's aggressive returning and error-free play.
What's next
Osaka will face Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Muchova advanced with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 win over Barbora Krejcikova. The two met in last week's Bad Homburg grass-court final, where Muchova won after Osaka retired at 1-6, 0-1. Osaka described Centre Court as "so special" and said winning her first match there meant a lot.
