Sabalenka beats Ostapenko to set up blockbuster Osaka meeting

World number one Aryna Sabalenka battled past Jelena Ostapenko to set up a blockbuster fourth-round meeting with Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon.

Sabalenka and Ostapenko, two of the biggest hitters on the WTA Tour, went blow for blow in an entertaining evening encounter on Centre Court.

But Belarusian Sabalenka kept her cool against the increasingly frustrated 2017 French Open champion to secure a 6-4 6-4 victory and keep her hopes of a first Wimbledon title alive.

Her reward is a meeting with fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who thrashed Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-3 in just 65 minutes to reach the last 16 at SW19 for the first time.

"Another aggressive player. Another very powerful match," Sabalenka said of Osaka, who she has a leading 4-1 head-to-head record against.

"I'm ready to fight and do whatever it takes to get through."

Sabalenka showed her fighting spirit against Latvia's Ostapenko, striking decisively in the fourth game of the first set and wrapping it up with a 111mph ace.

Ostapenko grew annoyed as she was unable to hold in her first three service games of the second set, gesturing wildly and directing angry shouts towards her team.

But - even at a set and 4-1 up - doubts remained over Sabalenka's ability to close out the match after her French Open collapse from a similar position last month.

The 28-year-old capitulated from a set and 4-1 up in her quarter-final against Diana Shnaider before losing the deciding set 6-0 in a match that she joked made her want to quit tennis.

But, after missing a match point on Ostapenko's serve at 5-3, Sabalenka held her nerve in the next game to seal the win after just an hour and 32 minutes on court.

- BBC