World number one Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the Indian Wells quarterfinals on Tuesday with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over former champion Naomi Osaka in a battle of Grand Slam winners.
It was another straightforward straight-set victory for Sabalenka, who hit 31 winners with eight aces.
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“Overall, I’m happy that I put so much pressure on her and brought some variety to the court today,” said Sabalenka, who mixed her booming groundstrokes with effective forays to the net.
“I think she was a little confused in key moments, and I’m happy to see that,” Sabalenka said. “I’m happy that my serve worked well. On the return, I played very good tennis.”
Sabalenka closed out the first set with two breaks of serve before Osaka began to find her rhythm.
But the Japanese star failed to break the serve of Sabalenka, who saved both break points she faced in the second set and secured a break for 4-3 with two forehand winners.
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It was only the second meeting between the two four-time Grand Slam champions. Osaka won the first in 2018 en route to her first major title at the US Open.
“It’s really crazy,” Sabalenka said of the fact that they haven’t met more often. But she predicted there would be more clashes in the future as Osaka, now ranked 16th, regains her momentum on the WTA Tour after taking off throughout 2023 and having a daughter, Shai, in July of that year.
Sabalenka, a finalist at Indian Wells in 2023 and 2025, will continue her quest for a first title in the prestigious ATP and WTA Masters 1000 event against 10th seed Victoria Mboko.
The 19-year-old Canadian beat sixth-seeded American Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-1 to earn a shot at Sabalenka, who beat her in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
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“It was a big eye-opener to see her play at the Australian Open,” Mboko said. “I hope I can hold on to her a little more.”
– “Completely speechless” –
Australian qualifier Talia Gibson’s dream run in the California desert continued as she reeled off 42 winners in a 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory over seventh-ranked Italian Jasmine Paolini.
The 21-year-old’s first victory against a top 10 player propelled her to her first WTA quarter-final.
She will face 14th-ranked Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic, who beat Philippine Alexandra Eala 6-2, 6-0 in just 55 minutes.
Gibson, ranked 112th, took advantage of a late break to pocket the first set, closing it out with her 18th first-set winner.
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Paolini took a 3-0 lead in the second half as Gibson’s errors multiplied and it seemed the experienced Italian, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, had taken control.
But Gibson unleashed another barrage of winners in the third, including a stinging forehand return of serve on match point.
“Honestly, completely speechless,” said Gibson, who beat top 20 players Ekaterina Alexandrova and Clara Tauson en route to the fourth round.
Gibson came into 2026 with just two WTA main draw wins and had to save two match points in a qualifying victory just to give herself a chance at a few more at Indian Wells.
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“I know that with my aggressive play, I am often able to create a lot of scoring opportunities,” she said.
“But that being said, I think I surprised myself a little bit with how well I was able to play several matches in a row.”
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