Osaka overpowers No. 1 Sabalenka at Wimbledon

ESPN News Services

Jul 5, 2026, 02:15 PM ET

In a matchup of two of the hardest hitters on tour, Naomi Osaka outslugged top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 (2) on Sunday to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.

Sabalenka had beaten Osaka in all three of their previous matches this year -- including at the same stage of the French Open last month. Osaka had never beaten a top-10 player at a non-hardcourt event, standing 0-13 in those matches.

But this time Sabalenka couldn't handle Osaka's pace and flat groundstrokes, which had an even bigger impact than usual as her balls flew through the air faster on the warmest day of the tournament so far. The temperature for the match on Centre Court reached 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

"I think it was a really fun match. ... This court is so special," said Osaka, noting it was her first time winning on Centre Court in six appearances at Wimbledon.

It was Osaka's first win over a No. 1 player since beating Ash Barty in Beijing in 2019. That was before Osaka, a former No. 1 herself, took breaks from the tour to manage her mental health in 2021 and for maternity leave that resulted in her missing all of 2023.

Sabalenka hadn't had a straight-sets defeat at a major since losing in the second round at the 2020 US Open to Victoria Azarenka.

It's her first time losing before the quarterfinals since the 2022 French Open, snapping a streak of 14 straight major appearances reaching the quarters or better. That was the second-longest streak by any woman since the start of 2000.

Sabalenka entered the day having won 21 consecutive tiebreaks at majors, the longest streak by any man or woman in the Open era. The previous record was held by Novak Djokovic, who won 19 straight from 2005 Wimbledon to 2007 Wimbledon.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.