Wimbledon: Naomi Osaka eyes Sabalenka revenge in last 16

Japan’s Naomi Osaka (R) and Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka (L) embrace at the end of their women’s singles match on day 9 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 1, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

Naomi Osaka has her sights set on revenge over Aryna Sabalenka when the Japanese star faces the women’s world number one in the Wimbledon fourth round on Sunday.

Sabalenka leads head-to-head 3-1

Osaka hopes to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time by avenging a 7-5, 6-3 defeat against Sabalenka in the French Open last 16 in June.

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The pair are both four-time Grand Slam champions who have never triumphed at Wimbledon.

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They have already collided three times in 2026, with Sabalenka winning on the hard courts of Indian Wells, before clay clashes in Madrid and Roland Garros.

Having taken six out of the seven sets between them this year, Sabalenka is relishing their latest encounter.

READ: Aryna Sabalenka powers past Naomi Osaka at Indian Wells

“Yeah, it’s been a great rivalry. Every time it’s a battle. Every time it’s high-level matches. Super excited to play her,” she said.

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Osaka, seeded 14th, is finally finding her groove on grass, helping by the eye-catching outfits she arrives on court wearing.

The 28-year-old believes all the talk about fashion has taken the pressure of her tennis.

“In some ways I feel like I’m a lot more equipped to talk about my clothes than about my tennis,” Osaka said.

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“She’s the number one player in the world. If there is someone I had to lose to, I would pick that ranking position. If anything, I would say I learnt from all of those matches.”

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