Sabalenka and Berrettini advance at French Open
The Belarusian will face Diana Shnaider in the next round, while the Italian continues his return to form as the lowest-ranked player to reach the men's last eight since 2007.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka strengthened her French Open title bid on Monday by defeating Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. The victory makes the Belarusian the only remaining Grand Slam champion in either the men's or women's singles draws at Roland Garros. Sabalenka, who is bidding for a maiden title on the Parisian clay, has now reached the quarter-finals at 14 consecutive major tournaments.
The match marked the first WTA players' primetime slot on Court Philippe Chatrier since June 2023. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo had noted earlier that the contest was obvious as the night's match. Sabalenka took a tense first set, dominated largely by service, before powering through the second to secure her third successive victory over Osaka this year. She will next face Diana Shnaider, who defeated former Australian Open winner Madison Keys 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
In the men's draw, Matteo Berrettini secured his first Grand Slam quarter-final since 2022 with a victory over Juan Manuel Cerundolo. The 30-year-old Italian, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years, won 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6). Berrettini is the lowest-ranked player to reach the Roland Garros men's last eight since Igor Andreev in 2007. He is one of only two Grand Slam finalists left in the draw, alongside Alexander Zverev, after early exits for Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
Berrettini will face either Frances Tiafoe or Matteo Arnaldi in the next round. He stated that his return to the tour is driven by resilience and the support of his team. "This is the love of my life, I guess, otherwise I wouldn't keep coming back after all the setbacks, the injuries," he said.
Other notable results included Anna Kalinskaya defeating Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10/7) to set up a quarter-final against Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska. Chwalinska had defeated the last remaining French player, Diane Parry, 6-3, 6-2. Following Parry's defeat, Paris Saint-Germain players paraded their Champions League trophies on court. In the men's lower half, Flavio Cobolli defeated Zachary Svajda to face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who laid down a marker with a dominant win over Alejandro Tabilo.
