World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominant performance at the WTA 1000 tournament by beating 16th seed Naomi Osaka 6-2 6-4 on Tuesday to advance to the Indian Wells quarterfinals.
Both players met for the first time since 2018, when Osaka beat Sabalenka at the US Open to claim her first major title, but the Belarusian’s power proved too much for the former world number one.
At one point, Osaka looked likely to take the second set, but Sabalenka quickly fought back to close the match.
Sabalenka said: “Yes, it’s crazy. For many years we have played only once and now I am sure we will play more. Now she will be back and playing great tennis.”
“I am very happy that today’s result is much better than last time.
“I’m glad I put so much pressure on her today to bring diversity to the court.
“My serve worked well. I played really good tennis when I came back. I’m definitely happy with my performance.”
Osaka started confidently with a strong opening service game, but top seed Sabalenka soon found her rhythm and took advantage of the Japanese’s brief downturn to break to 2-1 after two double faults.
The Belarusian tightened his grip with a barrage of powerful backhands to take a 5-2 lead and then comfortably closed out the set with an ace.
After a series of solid holds from both players early in the second, Sabalenka used her firepower again to take control, taking a 4-2 lead again for a decisive win and continuing her run in the tournament without dropping a set.
Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up, will continue her quest for her first title in the California desert against either 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko or American Amanda Anisimova.
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