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London.– Japan’s Naomi Osaka pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka this Sunday, 6-2, 7-6 (2), a result that secured her a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in her career.
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Osaka needed one hour and 30 minutes to overcome the Belarusian, breaking a five-match losing streak against Sabalenka, three of which were suffered during the current season.
The victory represents the Japanese player’s first win against a Top 10 player in 2026 and the third time in her career that she has defeated a world number one, following her victories over Simona Halep at Indian Wells 2018 and Ashleigh Barty in Beijing 2019.
Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, once again failed to reach the Wimbledon final, a tournament in which her best performance had been the semifinals. Despite the defeat, she will retain the top spot in the world rankings.
After the match, Osaka attributed her improved performance on grass to the work done with her coach, the Pole Tomasz Wiktorowski.
“It has been the great Polish man who has brought about this change. I am very grateful to Tomasz and my entire team. I have a lot of fun with them and I learn every day,” expressed the former world number one.
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In the quarterfinals, Osaka will face Czech player Karolina Muchova, who eliminated her compatriot Barbora Krejcikova in three sets.
With Sabalenka’s elimination, Wimbledon is left without its top three title favorites, following the previous exits of Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek.
