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World number one Aryna Sabalenka hailed the support of the crowd – and the moon on court – as she cruised into her fourth consecutive French Open quarter-final with a straight sets win over Naomi Osaka.
The 28-year-old was playing in the first women’s singles match to be played in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier since 2023 – and only the fifth since one-match night sessions were introduced in 2021 – and joked about seeing the 16th seed in one hour and 26 minutes, telling the crowd she “wanted”.
However, in a meeting between two of the toughest front hitters in the women’s game, Sabalenka’s accuracy on serve and few shots proved the difference as she beat Osaka 7-5 6-3 for the third time in the past three months.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka will face 25th-seeded Diana Schneider in the last eight for the reigning French Open champion, the only player with experience of playing in a home final.
“It’s amazing to play in the evening session. I really want to continue. Thank you for bringing such an amazing atmosphere. You guys make this place special,” Sabalenka told the courtroom crowd.
“I’m happy with the win, it was very difficult. She (Osaka) is a very good player – it’s always a tough battle against her. I’m mostly happy with the way I served and I’m happy to be able to put pressure on her.”
