Naomi Osaka achieved her most significant victory at Wimbledon to date, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6(2) in the fourth round. This win propelled Osaka into her first career quarterfinal at the tournament.
Osaka attributed her success not only to her on-court performance but also to her mother's cooking. "My mom’s over there. She cooks a lot and I feel like her cooking is powering me," Osaka said during her on-court interview. She specifically mentioned enjoying "a bunch of Japanese food" while her family is staying with her in London.
This latest success on grass has pushed Osaka into new territory. The four-time Grand Slam champion also credited new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski for adjustments to her grass-court strategy. Against Sabalenka, Osaka recorded eight aces and concluded the match in under 90 minutes.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun on the court, and to do it here, it really means a lot," Osaka stated. "Going into this match, I lost to her three times in a row, so that really sucked. I wanted to turn it over, and I’m really glad I had the opportunity to do that."
Sabalenka had defeated Osaka three times earlier in the season, including at the French Open. Osaka's victory ended Sabalenka's streak of 14 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances in majors she played. It was also Sabalenka's first straight-sets Grand Slam loss since the 2020 U.S. Open.
Earlier this year, Osaka reached the fourth round at Roland Garros but was eliminated by Sabalenka. She built momentum on grass by reaching the Bad Homburg final before retiring due to a foot issue. At Wimbledon, Osaka has advanced with a 4-0 record without dropping a set. She is scheduled to face Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals, seeking her first Grand Slam semifinal appearance since winning the 2021 Australian Open.