On Friday, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka won in straight sets and will face off for a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Sabalenka beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4 on Center Court and declared herself ready to face 14th-seeded Osaka in a battle of four-time Grand Slam champions.
“She’s a very aggressive player and serves well,” Sabalenka said. “I watched some of her matches.
“I’m ready to go out there and take the fight and do whatever it takes to get through this difficult match.”
Osaka needed just 65 minutes to defeat Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 on Court 1. Osaka reached the fourth round for the first time at the All England Club.
Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Claire Liu 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 after holding three match points at 5-4 in the second set. Gauff will next face No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic.
Other winners in the women’s draw included No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula, No. 10 seed Karolina Muchova and 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.
