Sabalenka Battles Back to Beat Osaka at Madrid Open

World number one Aryna Sabalenka produced another comeback performance to defeat Naomi Osaka and book her place in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open.

The Belarusian star recovered from a set and a break down to claim a hard-fought 6-7 (1-7), 6-3, 6-2 victory in two hours and 20 minutes, extending her winning streak to 15 matches in 2026 and nine consecutive victories in Madrid.

Sabalenka had not tasted defeat in the Spanish capital since 2023, but four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka pushed her hard with one of her strongest performances of the season.

Osaka dominated the opening-set tie-break before breaking serve early in the second set to move 2-1 ahead. However, Sabalenka responded immediately with a love break and shifted momentum in her favour.

After breaking again to lead 5-3, Sabalenka served out the second set confidently before taking full control in the decider. She conceded only three points in the final set and sealed victory with her sixth ace of the afternoon.

Speaking after the match, Sabalenka praised her opponent’s level.

“Osaka played incredible tennis. I’m happy she brought that fight, I had to fight through to level up my game.”

Sabalenka will now face Hailey Baptiste in the last eight after the American defeated Belinda Bencic in three sets.

Gauff Knocked Out by Noskova

Elsewhere, third seed Coco Gauff suffered a surprise fourth-round defeat to Linda Noskova.

Noskova battled back to win 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6-5) despite Gauff leading 4-1 in the final set and 4-2 in the deciding tie-break.

Gauff, who has been dealing with a stomach virus during the tournament, is set to drop from third to fourth in the updated world rankings, with Iga Swiatek moving back into the top three.

Noskova will now meet Marta Kostyuk in the quarter-finals after Kostyuk defeated Caty McNally in straight sets.