World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka needed to take down one of her most challenging opponents to clinch her spot in the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
Top-seeded Sabalenka garnered a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 16 seed Amanda Anisimova on Court Suzanne-Lenglen on Sunday, moving into the Elite Eight at the French Open for the third consecutive year.
Coming into this encounter, Sabalenka had lost five of her seven previous meetings with Anisimova. Moreover, one of those losses came at 2019 Roland Garros, where Anisimova went on to the semifinals as a teenager.
But this time, Sabalenka exhibited the form that has currently made her a dominant World No. 1. She held off the American in two close sets, collecting the win after 1 hour and 32 minutes of play.
“I’m super happy with the win, especially in straight sets against Amanda,” Sabalenka said in her post-match press conference. “We had a lot of great battles in the past.”
Olympic champ awaits: Sabalenka will next face No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen of China. Zheng, who won last year’s Olympic gold medal at Roland Garros, outlasted No. 19 seed Liudmila Samsonova earlier on Sunday.
Sabalenka defeated Zheng in their first six meetings, including the 2024 Australian Open final. However, Zheng finally got her first win over Sabalenka last month — and on clay to boot, knocking the World No. 1 out of the Rome quarterfinals.
“It’s always tough matches against her,” Sabalenka said, looking ahead to Zheng. “She’s a great player. Of course, I expect a great battle, and I’m super excited to face her in the quarterfinals, and I want to get my revenge. I want to get this win after Rome, so I’m happy to face her in the quarters.”
Sabalenka’s Sunday surge: Initially, the World No. 1 seemed to be headed for a quick victory on Sunday. Sabalenka grabbed an early 4-1 lead and she held her first set point at 5-3.
But as is her custom, Anisimova brought some of her best play to her latest meeting with Sabalenka, and she matched Sabalenka shot for shot in the power-hitting duel. Suddenly, Anisimova was back level at 5-5 and held two break points for 6-5.
Sabalenka, though, deployed a couple of her best serves to swat those chances away, and she summoned up an ace to hold for 6-5. That proved to be a pivotal moment as Sabalenka regrouped and broke serve to capture the one-set lead.
The top seed eased to a 5-2 lead in the second set, but once again, Anisimova refused to be subdued so easily. The American saved a whopping six match points in a gripping 11-minute game to stay alive.
Sabalenka saw her seventh match point slip away in the next game, but she eventually got the job done. She slammed a backhand winner down the line to convert her eighth match point and return to the quarters in Paris.
An amazing streak continues for Sabalenka — she has won her last 10 Round of 16 singles matches at Grand Slam events. She is the first player since Serena Williams (who won 17 straight from 2014 US Open to 2021 Australian Open) to achieve this.