World number one Aryna Sabalenka has reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and can continue to dream of her first triumph on the Seine.
In the first women’s match in the night session since 2023, the four-time Grand Slam winner prevailed 7:5, 6:3 against Naomi Osaka from Japan on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
After the introduction of the primetime encounter five years ago, it was only the fifth duel between two tennis players in prime time.
“It’s just great to play in front of all of you in the night session,” said Sabalenka, who after the match showed his legendary moonwalk on the sand to the sounds of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and was loudly cheered by the fans.
Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros for the fourth time in a row. Now waiting is Diana Schnaider, who defeated the American Madison Keys 6:3, 3:6, 6:0. Last year, Sabalenka stormed to the final, but then lost to Coco Gauff. Meanwhile, Osaka, who once again appeared in a gold glitter outfit, missed her first place in the round of eight.
The few evening games for women on the clay court highlight always cause discussions and criticism. In the past two years, the organizers had completely avoided meeting women in the night session.
“The organizers are scared that a women’s match is over after an hour,” said Eurosport expert Boris Becker, referring to the women’s only two winning sets. For men, three sets are needed to win. In the end, Sabalenka and Osaka, who had defeated German number one Laura Siegemund in the first round, dueled for 87 minutes.
