Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka will renew their rivalry at Roland Garros, with fans set for a blockbuster night in Paris.
Sabalenka has been tipped to win Roland Garros, with the likelihood of that outcome increasing with many high-profile exits.
WTA number two Elena Rybakina has already crashed out of the event, along with defending champion Coco Gauff and four-time winner Iga Swiatek.
Top seed Sabalenka now meets Osaka in the fourth round of Roland Garros, with many fans left delighted after organizers confirmed they would play in the night session match on Monday.
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Tennis fans welcome Roland Garros Aryna Sabalenka vs Naomi Osaka night match
It marks the first women’s match to take place in the Roland Garros night slot since 2023, with one fan noting of the move on X: “Correct decision.”
Another tennis fan concurred, commenting: “Right decision but also shouldn’t have taken them this long to do it!”
Others agreed, saying: “They made the right choice, men’s draw is embarrassing,” and “Amelie [Mauresmo] got the memo.”
And other fans also welcomed the decision, saying: “Mauresmo and the French Federation finally read the room,” and “At last – great news!”
There is certainly plenty of excitement for the highly anticipated showdown, with one fan noting: “This might be match of the tournament on the women’s side.”
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Aryna Sabalenka vs Naomi Osaka head-to-head before Roland Garros clash
Roland Garros tournament director Mauresmo has absolutely made the right call to schedule Sabalenka versus Osaka for the next night session.
It has, however, unfortunately been a very long time coming, with each of the previous 32 primetime sessions having been allocated to men.
That lengthy drought is a real shame for women’s tennis, but hopefully Sabalenka and Osaka can produce a blockbuster clash for fans everywhere.
Both 28 years old, it is the Belarusian who enters the match with a slight advantage, having won two of their three meetings so far.
She is also the current world number one, but Osaka has reached that ranking before, while both players boast four career Grand Slam titles.
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