TENNIS: Sabalenka battles past Osaka in Madrid epic to reach quarter-finals

MADRID — World number one Aryna Sabalenka staged a thrilling comeback to defeat Naomi Osaka 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-2 in a captivating Madrid Open clash on Monday, keeping her title defense alive.

The Belarusian, a three-time champion in Madrid and the defending champion from last year, faced a strong challenge from former world number one Osaka but weathered the early storm. The match lasted two hours and 22 minutes, with Sabalenka eventually asserting her dominance.

This was only the third meeting between the two players, both of whom have won four Grand Slam titles. Their previous encounters took place at Indian Wells earlier this season and at the 2018 U.S. Open, where Osaka emerged victorious.

The opening set was a tense affair, going into a tiebreak. Osaka, who served first, capitalized on Sabalenka's errors at the net and struck a sharp counterattack to gain the upper hand. The Japanese player surged to a 5-0 lead, eventually clinching the tiebreak 7-1 to take the set 7-6.

Osaka played near-perfectly from the baseline in the first set, firing deep, flat groundstrokes that left Sabalenka scrambling. But the top seed quickly regrouped, coming out with greater intent in the second set. Sabalenka earned three break points in Osaka's opening service game and, despite a strong response from the Japanese player, leveled the match at 1-1.

Osaka struck first in the second set with a break, but Sabalenka answered back immediately, breaking Osaka in the eighth game. A double fault by Osaka at 0-40 proved to be costly, and Sabalenka took control to serve out the set.

Riding the momentum into the third set, Sabalenka broke in the fourth game after a series of break points. Osaka, visibly frustrated, smashed her racket into the court as the Belarusian surged ahead to a 4-2 lead. Another break followed for 5-2, and Sabalenka sealed the win with a dominant 6-2 finish, setting up a quarter-final showdown with American Hailey Baptiste.

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas brushed aside Spain's Daniel Merida 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour. Tsitsipas will next face Norway's Casper Ruud.

Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters