WIMBLEDON, England — Naomi Osaka smiled broadly after dispatching Daria Kasatkina 6‑1, 6‑3 on Friday, securing a spot in the round of 16 at the All England Club.
The match lasted just 65 minutes, marking Osaka’s first appearance in the second week at Wimbledon, a milestone she reached barely a month after advancing to the second week at Roland Garros for the first time in her career.
Despite four major hard‑court titles, Osaka has historically struggled on natural surfaces. Before 2026, she had reached the third round at both the French Open and Wimbledon three times each, never progressing further.
This season, however, she appears to have found her footing on grass. She reached her first grass‑court final at the Bad Homburg 500 event, retiring due to a foot injury but demonstrating significant improvement.
“I understand grass‑court tennis a lot more now,” Osaka told reporters. “When I was younger I was a bit stubborn about how I wanted to play on this surface, but I realize it’s much more free‑flowing.”
She now faces world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday in the round of 16. Sabalenka, a four‑time major champion, is seeking her first Grand Slam title outside the hard courts after reaching the French Open final in 2025 and making three Wimbledon semifinals.
Osaka, who missed the entire 2023 season on maternity leave, has reached a Grand Slam semifinal only once since her last major triumph in 2021.
Naomi Osaka reaches the fourth round for the first time with some wonderful displays pic.twitter.com/soAlhTmB72
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2026
Sabalenka has won all three of her meetings with Osaka this year, though she describes each contest as “very tough.” Their recent clash in Paris saw Sabalenka rally from a 0‑2 set deficit to claim a 7‑5, 6‑3 victory.
After that loss, Osaka returned to the United States to train. Lacking grass courts at home, she and coach Tomasz Wiktorowski devised “creative” drills that emphasized forward movement and adaptation to the surface’s speed and bounce.
Those adjustments appear to be paying off. Since the Paris defeat, Osaka boasts a 7‑1 record on grass, dropping only one set—in the Bad Homburg final against Karolina Muchova, which she retired from due to injury.
Against Kasatkina, a former Wimbledon quarter‑finalist, Osaka dominated from the start, surrendering just five service points in the opening set and maintaining control throughout the match.
The win marks Osaka’s first back‑to‑back fourth‑round appearances at majors since the 2020 US Open and 2021 Australian Open, both titles she captured.
“Obviously I’ve been doing really well on grass this year. My confidence is pretty high,” Osaka said. “I know what my grass‑court tennis looks like, and it gives me a stable mindset going into any match.”
Sabalenka, who recorded a 6‑4, 6‑4 win over Jelena Ostapenko on Friday, has shown occasional vulnerability on grass, notably dropping a set to Jessica Pegula in Berlin and needing three sets to dispatch Nikola Bartunkova.
“I had a laugh after that third set,” Sabalenka admitted when discussing her loss to Pegula.
In her second‑round win over McCartney Kessler, Sabalenka survived four set points before clinching a 6‑1, 7‑6 (9) victory, describing the match as a “tough battle.”
Looking ahead, Sabalenka said she expects Osaka to come prepared, noting, “She’s aware of my power and aggression, but I’m not thinking about our past meetings. Every match is a new story, and I’ll bring my best tennis.”
When asked about facing an opponent she has lost to three times this season, Osaka remained optimistic.
“I don’t mind playing someone recently,” she said. “If I have to lose, I’d rather it be to the world No. 1. I’ve learned from those matches and hope to apply that knowledge if we meet again.”
