Sabalenka Storms Into French Open Last 16 After Seeing Off Kasatkina Challenge

World number one Aryna Sabalenka moved a step closer to a maiden French Open title after producing another commanding display to defeat Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 7-5 and secure her place in the fourth round at Roland Garros.

The Belarusian top seed delivered a ruthless opening-set performance, overwhelming her opponent with power and precision to wrap up the first set in just 29 minutes.

Sabalenka’s aggressive baseline play left Kasatkina struggling to settle as the three-time Grand Slam champion raced into complete control.

However, the second set proved far more competitive.

Sabalenka briefly lost momentum, committing two unforced errors and a double fault that handed Kasatkina an early break. The Russian-born Australian capitalised by holding serve comfortably as the contest suddenly became more balanced.

Despite the wobble, Sabalenka quickly regained her composure and reeled off three consecutive games, although Kasatkina continued to fight and forced the world number one into several demanding rallies.

With the score delicately poised at 5-5 and Kasatkina serving, Sabalenka elevated her level once again.

The Belarusian seized control of the crucial moments, earning three match points before converting the second to seal victory in one hour and 17 minutes.

The triumph marked another significant milestone for Sabalenka, who became only the ninth woman in history to record 100 match victories while ranked world number one.

Reflecting on her performance, Sabalenka praised her resilience.

“I was happy in the tough moments. I never gave up,” she said after the match, according to supersport.com’s report.

Her reward is a blockbuster Round of 16 clash against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

The upcoming encounter promises to be one of the tournament’s standout ties. Although Sabalenka has already defeated the Japanese star twice this season, Osaka holds the psychological edge from their only previous Grand Slam meeting at the 2018 US Open — a tournament Osaka went on to win for her maiden major title.

With confidence growing and history within reach, Sabalenka’s pursuit of a first French Open crown remains firmly on course.