Aryna Sabalenka has avenged her loss against Naomi Osaka in the battle of the Grand Slam champions at the ongoing Indian Wells Open 2026. On Tuesday, March 11, she defeated Osaka in the Round of 16 match to earn her qualification in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The World No. 1 had beaten the former champion in straight sets by 6-2, 6-4.
Sharing her excitement during the post-match interview, Sabalenka shared that she threw her opponent, Osaka, under the shed for the majority of the match that ended in a successful campaign for her.
“Overall I’m happy that I put so much pressure on her, that I brought variety today on the court. I think she was a little confused in the key moments, and I’m happy to see that. I’m happy that my serve worked well, on the return I played really great tennis,” Sabalenka said.
In the first set, the Belarusian wrapped up with two service breaks before Osaka struck back against her. However, the Japanese star was unable to edge past the Belarusian. Instead, Sabalenka saved both of her break points in the second set and got a break for 4-3.
The two Grand Slam champions have not faced each other more than twice in major tournaments, including their latest one in the 2026 Indian Wells event.
The Belarusian, however, hopes to get another opportunity to face off against the Japanese star in the near future. Sabalenka who finished as runner-up at both the 2023 and 2025 editions of the Indian Wells event, is moving ahead with the aim to win her first title of the ATP and WTA Masters 1000 event.
Her quarterfinals match of the ongoing tournament will be either against sixth-seed Amanda Anisimova of America or No. 10 Victoria Mboko of Canada. Earlier in the Round of 32 held on Sunday, March 8, Sabalenka defeated Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets by 6-4, 6-1 after which she earned her place in the Round of 16 against Osaka.
Both Sabalenka and Osaka had met each other for the second time in a major tournament. In their first meeting, eight years before, Osaka had edged past the Belarusian in the 2018 US Open campaign. It was the Round of 16 match which the Japanese star won after beating Sabalenka in sets of 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
