Aryna Sabalenka Moonwalks Into French Open Quarter-Finals After Beating Naomi Osaka | WATCH

Last Updated:June 02, 2026, 07:42 IST

Sabalenka ended Osaka’s French Open run to reach the quarter-finals, while Berrettini continued his resurgence with a first Grand Slam last-eight berth in four years.

The match was over, the crowd was still buzzing, and then Aryna Sabalenka delivered one more highlight.

Moments after defeating Naomi Osaka to reach the French Open quarter-finals, the world No. 1 broke into a flawless Michael Jackson-style moonwalk during her on-court interview, sending Court Philippe Chatrier into raptures.

Sabalenka paused, tilted her head and glided backwards across the clay with surprising ease, showing off a move usually reserved for dance floors rather than Grand Slam arenas.

The Belarusian is no stranger to viral dance moments, often entertaining teammates and fans with her locker-room routines, but few expected her to pull off the iconic moonwalk under the lights at Roland Garros.

The playful celebration capped off another impressive night for the top seed, who overcame a spirited challenge from four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-3 in the tournament’s first women’s night-session match in three years.

Osaka, enjoying her best-ever run in Paris and looking increasingly comfortable on clay, pushed Sabalenka hard in a closely contested opening set. The Japanese star matched her opponent shot for shot before Sabalenka found the breakthrough with a crucial break in the 11th game.

From there, the momentum shifted decisively. After trailing 3-2 in the second set, Sabalenka reeled off four straight games to seal victory and extend her remarkable streak of reaching the quarter-finals in 14 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.

The win also marked Sabalenka’s third victory over Osaka this season, further strengthening her bid for a maiden Roland Garros title after last year’s heartbreaking defeat in the final.

Standing between Sabalenka and a place in the semi-finals is Russia’s Diana Shnaider, who defeated former Australian Open champion Madison Keys in three sets.

Elsewhere, Anna Kalinskaya battled past Anastasia Potapova in a tense contest, while Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska continued her dream run by eliminating France’s last remaining singles player, Diane Parry.

(with agency inputs)

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Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His...Read More

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