Osaka defeats world No. 1 Sabalenka, reaches Wimbledon semifinals for first time
Naomi Osaka eliminated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka to advance to the Wimbledon semifinals, a stage she had never reached in her All England Club career.
Naomi Osaka eliminated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in her career. The former Grand Slam champion had never advanced past the fourth round at the All England Club.
Sabalenka entered as the highest-ranked player in the draw, but the favoritism did not hold: the Belarusian exited the tournament in the quarterfinals.
Breaking the fourth-round barrier
For years, the fourth round marked Osaka’s limit at Wimbledon. The win over the ranking leader removes that ceiling and places the Japanese player among the tournament’s last four for the first time.
Osaka’s semifinal opponent will be determined by the remaining quarterfinal results.
With information from Wimbledon.
