By Martyn Herman
LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) – Naomi Osaka began her Wimbledon week wearing a kimono-style walk-on outfit inspired by her favourite character from the Quentin Tarantino movie ‘Kill Bill’ and she ended it by taking out top seed Aryna Sabalenka in brutal fashion.
The Japanese 14th seed produced the kind of tennis that took her to four Grand Slam titles as she blazed to a 6-2 7-6(2) win to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, with Sabalenka’s demise adding to the carnage in the women’s draw.
Osaka’s victory, following third-round defeats for defending champion Iga Swiatek and 2022 winner Elena Rybakina, means the top three seeds are all out. With Barbora Krejcikova losing to fellow Czech Karolina Muchova in the fourth round on Sunday, a ninth successive first-time Wimbledon winner is guaranteed.
Novak Djokovic continued his challenge for a men’s record-equalling eighth title although the 39-year-old said he did not enjoy his scrappy 7-6(6) 6-3 3-6 6-3 win over Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin even though it earned him yet another milestone.
“To be honest, I haven’t felt really great on the court, so I was relieved to get out of it and get a win,” Djokovic said after moving past Swiss great Roger Federer with a men’s record 106th Wimbledon match win.
“Satisfaction and enjoyment weren’t part of today’s win.”
It may have been ugly, but the ageless Djokovic is through to his 17th Wimbledon quarter-final and one step away from a possible semi-final showdown with defending champion and top seed Jannik Sinner who comfortably saw off Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3 7-6(0) 6-3.
For that to happen Djokovic will have to beat Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who outlasted Spain’s last survivor Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7(4) 7-6(6) 6-3 6-7(2) 6-1 — a four-hour 26 minute battle that ended with an angry exchange of words between the players at the net.
Sinner has yet to face a seed so far and he will not do so in the quarter-finals where he will face veteran Jan-Lennard Struff.
The German reached the last eight at a Grand Slam for the first time, at the 47th attempt. The 36-year-old Struff, ranked 74, had battled back from two sets down against Hubert Hurkacz when the distraught Pole quit with a left hip injury.
“First of all, I would wish Hubi a speedy recovery,” Struff said. “It was tough to celebrate on the court because obviously I feel sorry for him. But, I’m very happy because it’s a huge achievement for me. I’m 36, first quarters, amazing.”
SHOWDOWN BETWEEN POWER MERCHANTS
There was no doubt about which match had top-billing on a warm and sunny Day Seven at the All England Club — a showdown between power merchants Sabalenka and Osaka, two 28-year-olds with four Grand Slams apiece, all on hard courts.
After Osaka beat Sabalenka en route to winning the 2018 U.S. Open title, they did not meet again for almost eight years. When they finally did cross paths again, Sabalenka beat her Japanese rival three times this season including at the French Open.
But the tables were turned emphatically as a serene Osaka produced a display of sustained power and accuracy to leave Sabalenka screaming in frustration on Centre Court.
The expected fireworks failed to materialise though as Osaka dominated a misfiring Sabalenka — claiming her biggest win since returning from maternity leave in 2024.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun on the court. To do it here, it really means a lot. I lost to her like three times in a row, so that really sucked.
“So I wanted to turn it over.”
Asked later about her slightly ‘toned-down’ outfit for her entrance on Centre Court, Osaka said: “I actually really wanted to focus on the match. So that was me being very tame.
“I kind of want to focus on my tennis now, so I might dial back a little bit.”
For Sabalenka it was another bitter Wimbledon disappointment after her three successive semi-final defeats and she belted a ball over the roof after the final point.
“Now I want to go and get drunk and forget about tennis,” Sabalenka told reporters minutes after storming off court.
Next up for Osaka is 10th seed Muchova who beat 2024 champion Krejcikova 7-5 5-7 6-3 in a tight battle.
Five American women reached the last 16, the most since 2002 and two of them met on Court One where fourth seed Jessica Pegula’s experience paid dividends as she gave 18-year-old Iva Jovic a lesson in match management in a 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory.
Pegula, who has matched her best Wimbledon run, could face another American next if Coco Gauff beats Belinda Bencic.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
