LONDON - Japan's former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka upset top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-2, 7-6(2) in the Wimbledon fourth round on Sunday, advancing to the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time in her career.
The 14th-seeded Osaka became the first Japanese woman to reach the last eight at Wimbledon since Ai Sugiyama in 2004, according to Kyodo News.
"It's been a long time since I've had so much fun on the court, and to do it here, it really means a lot," the four-time Grand Slam winner said in her on-court interview.
Osaka's Wimbledon breakthrough also marked a turnaround in her head-to-head series against fellow power-hitter and current world No. 1 Sabalenka.
The Belarusian had won their three previous meetings this season, including in the fourth round of the French Open earlier this year.
"Going into this match, I lost to her three times in a row, so that really sucked," Osaka said. "I wanted to turn it over, and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to do that."
Osaka will next face 10th-seeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for a place in the semifinals.
Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki saw his dream run in the men's singles draw come to an end in the fourth round, the world No. 151 losing 6-3, 7-6(0), 6-3 to defending champion and top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy. - BERNAMA