Osaka avenged a straight-sets defeat against Sabalenka in the French Open last 16 in June by eliminating her fellow four-time Grand Slam champion with a superb display on Centre Court.
It is five years since Osaka lifted her most recent Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open.
Revitalised by coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who mentored Iga Swiatek, the 28-year-old reached the semi-finals of the US Open last year and has carried that momentum into 2026.
Osaka is yet to drop a set across her opening four matches at Wimbledon.
Seeded 14th, she is finally finding her groove on grass, helped by the eye-catching outfits she arrives on court wearing.
Her walk-on costumes have included a kimono, a bomber jacket with a long train and a cloak that looks like an open kimono.
The 28-year-old believes all the talk about her haute couture has taken the pressure of her tennis.
Once again she treated fans to a memorable outfit before delivering a tailor-made performance that left Sabalenka’s Wimbledon challenge in tatters in the last 16.
Osaka faces Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova for a place in the last four.
“For me this court is so special. This is the first match I’ve won on this court. It means a lot,” Osaka said.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun on the court and to do it here, really means a lot.
“I lost to her three times in a row. That really sucked. I wanted to have the opportunity to overturn that.”
Praising her mother’s home-cooking, who was watching from the players’ box, for inspiring her success over the last week, Osaka added: “She cooks a lot. I feel like her cooking is powering me. I would like another meal tonight. She cooks a lot of Japanese food.”
Osaka and Sabalenka had already collided three times in 2026, with the Belarusian winning on the hard courts of Indian Wells and on clay in Madrid and Roland Garros. (AFP)
