DistantNews
🇹🇼 Taiwan /Sports

Tennis: World No. 1 Sabalenka Reverses Osaka, Advances to Madrid Red Clay Quarterfinals

From Liberty Times · (13m ago) Chinese Mixed tone

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Naomi Osaka in a thrilling three-set match at the Madrid Open.
  • Sabalenka came back from a set down to win 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-2, advancing to the quarterfinals.
  • Osaka showed strong form, pushing Sabalenka to her limit in a match lasting over two hours.

Madrid Open: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka survives a fierce challenge from former champion Naomi Osaka, securing a dramatic comeback victory to reach the quarterfinals. In a highly anticipated clash between two Grand Slam champions, Sabalenka battled for over two hours before prevailing 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-2. Osaka, who has been steadily regaining her top form, pushed the Belarusian to the brink, particularly in the opening set and the early stages of the second. Sabalenka, a three-time champion in Madrid, acknowledged Osaka's incredible level of play, stating, "She played unbelievable tennis." The top seed admitted that luck played a role in the deciding set, but emphasized her own resilience and focus. "I just wanted to focus on every ball, and my team always supported me and encouraged me to fight to the end. I'm glad I didn't give up and persisted until the last point," Sabalenka remarked. She will face American Hailey Baptiste in the next round.

My God, her level is amazing.

— Aryna SabalenkaReacting to Naomi Osaka's performance during their match.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog