In a battle between a former WTA No. 1 and the current No. 1, Naomi Osaka took on Aryna Sabalenka in a match that would decide who would move into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2026. Sabalenka was favored, most likely, but slightly, because Osaka had never had much success at the grass-court major.
Anyone who witnessed the match and didn't know anything about Osaka's history at Wimbledon would not have believed she had previously had a lack of success. She not only set the tone immediately against the Belarusian, but even while the second set remained close, the Japanese player seemed to be fully in charge.
When Sabalenka took a game, it appeared to be by lucky chance. When Osaka won a game, it was because she was dictating most of the points. If anyone didn't know who the current WTA No. 1 was, one would likely have pointed to Osaka. She was once there and might be so again if she continues in the same form she displayed against Sabalenka.
Naomi Osaka dominates Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2026
The match wasn't close, even though the second set ended in a tie-break. Osaka took the first set 6-2, and there was no foolishness to it. She outhit the usually overpowering Sabalenka. What sometimes gives the Belarusian issues, as Elena Rybakina can do, is power versus power.
Aryna Sabalenka was no match for the power of Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, and that should scare the rest of the WTA field. While the Japanese player has won four Grand Slams previously, she hasn't come close in London. That is changing in 2026.
She had never made it past the third round at any previous iteration of the major. Now, she has gone two steps beyond that and is in the kind of form that could take the entire tournament. She won set two 7-2 in a tie-break that was indicative of the entire match. Osaka was in charge and not Sabalenka.
Naomi Osaka will next play Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2026. That should make for a must-watch match for tennis fans. Osaka is trying to reclaim her place as one of the top players on tour. Muchova is trying to become the third Czech woman to take the title in London in the last four years.
