Osaka not only matched Sabalenka for pace but played with more control. While Sabalenka’s frustrations after a missed shot were met with a yell or a glare at her box, Osaka would turn her back on a fluffed shot, heels kicking up as she jogged back to the baseline.
She played with freedom, hitting 21 winners and winning 87% of points behind her first serve.
She credited coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who she joined up with in mid-2025, with her change in grass-court game.
“When I was younger, I used to be extremely low, to the point where I’d bang my knees on the ground and think maybe I need knee guards while I’m playing,” Osaka said.
“We all understood that I have potential to play really good on grass. I just need to figure out the movement part.
“I’ve done a lot of drills with Tomasz. Most of them weren’t necessarily even on the grass court. It was more like pattern recognition and getting me comfortable with my own game.
“Throughout the entire year, he’s been getting me more comfortable with my movement.”
Osaka also credits her calmness with having her family around her in London.
The family stay in a house together and celebrated Shai’s third birthday on Thursday – although Osaka did tell Friday’s Court One crowd that she’d had put her daughter in time-out because “she was kind of bad”.
Quarter-final opponent Karolina Muchova – a crafty player who will counter Osaka’s pace with spin and guile – will be a tough test, but she will come up against a “looser, calmer, and more ready” Osaka.
“Osaka probably thought it [her return] was taking way too long – this time last year she wasn’t even ranked in the top 50,” Austin said on BBC TV.
“She has done a great job of getting more consistent, she is fitter than I’ve ever seen her and she is so committed to being controlled out there.”
