London (AFP) – Naomi Osaka has her sights set on revenge over Aryna Sabalenka when the Japanese star faces the women's world number one in the Wimbledon fourth round on Sunday.
Issued on: 04/07/2026 - 20:04
3 min Reading time
Title rivals Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner aim to stay on track for a blockbuster semi-final showdown.AFP Sport looks at three matches to watch on the seventh day of the tournament (x denotes seeding):Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x1) v Naomi Osaka (JPN x14)Sabalenka leads head to head 3-1-- Osaka hopes to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time by avenging a 7-5, 6-3 defeat against Sabalenka in the French Open last 16 in June.The pair are both four-time Grand Slam champions who have never triumphed at Wimbledon.They have already collided three times in 2026, with Sabalenka winning on the hard courts of Indian Wells, before clay clashes in Madrid and Roland Garros.Having taking six out of the seven sets between them this year, Sabalenka is relishing their latest encounter."Yeah, it's been a great rivalry. Every time it's a battle. Every time it's high-level matches. Super excited to play her," she said.Osaka, seeded 14th, is finally finding her groove on grass, helping by the eye-catching outfits she arrives on court wearing.The 28-year-old believes all the talk about fashion has taken the pressure of her tennis."In some ways I feel like I'm a lot more equipped to talk about my clothes than about my tennis," Osaka said."She's the number one player in the world. If there is someone I had to lose to, I would pick that ranking position. If anything, I would say I learnt from all of those matches."Jannik Sinner (ITA x1) v Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN)First meeting
