French Open: Aryna Sabalenka powers past Kasatkina, books fourth-round date with Osaka
Aryna Sabalenka continued her strong run at the French Open, beating Australia's Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 7-5 on Saturday to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros and set up a blockbuster clash with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Aryna Sabalenka continued her impressive run at the French Open, defeating Australia's Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 7-5 on Saturday to book her place in the fourth round and set up a blockbuster clash with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. Meanwhile, Osaka dazzled in an all-gold outfit and battled past American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 on Saturday to reach the French Open fourth round for the first time.
With several top stars, including men's top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic, crashing out in the previous two days, the world No. 1 restored a sense of order at Roland Garros with a dominant display on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Sabalenka was in complete control from the outset, using her trademark power from the baseline and sharp net play to race through the opening set. The Belarusian won the first five games and recovered from 15-40 down while serving for the set before sealing a flawless 6-0 opener. She won an impressive 91 per cent of points behind her first serve in the set, leaving Kasatkina with few answers.
The Australian, who switched allegiance from Russia last year, showed far greater resistance in the second set. Kasatkina broke serve and briefly took control, drawing loud chants of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" from the crowd as she opened up a lead. However, Sabalenka quickly responded, levelling the contest at 2-2 after an untimely unforced error from her opponent.
Kasatkina continued to push the top seed and threatened to force a decider, but Sabalenka raised her level when it mattered most. The reigning world No. 1 found another gear late in the set, breaking decisively before serving out the match to complete a straight-sets victory in 77 minutes.
The win marked Sabalenka's 100th victory while holding the WTA No. 1 ranking and improved her head-to-head record against Kasatkina to 8-2. Last year's Roland Garros finalist will now turn her attention to a mouthwatering fourth-round showdown against former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
Aryna Sabalenka continued her impressive run at the French Open, defeating Australia's Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 7-5 on Saturday to book her place in the fourth round and set up a blockbuster clash with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. Meanwhile, Osaka dazzled in an all-gold outfit and battled past American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 on Saturday to reach the French Open fourth round for the first time.
With several top stars, including men's top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic, crashing out in the previous two days, the world No. 1 restored a sense of order at Roland Garros with a dominant display on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Sabalenka was in complete control from the outset, using her trademark power from the baseline and sharp net play to race through the opening set. The Belarusian won the first five games and recovered from 15-40 down while serving for the set before sealing a flawless 6-0 opener. She won an impressive 91 per cent of points behind her first serve in the set, leaving Kasatkina with few answers.
The Australian, who switched allegiance from Russia last year, showed far greater resistance in the second set. Kasatkina broke serve and briefly took control, drawing loud chants of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" from the crowd as she opened up a lead. However, Sabalenka quickly responded, levelling the contest at 2-2 after an untimely unforced error from her opponent.
Kasatkina continued to push the top seed and threatened to force a decider, but Sabalenka raised her level when it mattered most. The reigning world No. 1 found another gear late in the set, breaking decisively before serving out the match to complete a straight-sets victory in 77 minutes.
The win marked Sabalenka's 100th victory while holding the WTA No. 1 ranking and improved her head-to-head record against Kasatkina to 8-2. Last year's Roland Garros finalist will now turn her attention to a mouthwatering fourth-round showdown against former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
