Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will face Naomi Osaka in the Wimbledon fourth round on Sunday, marking their fourth meeting of the year.
The match pits two four-time Grand Slam champions against each other on Centre Court.
Sabalenka advanced by defeating Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets, while Osaka secured her spot by beating Daria Kasatkina, reaching the fourth round at SW19 for the first time in her career.
Their rivalry dates back to the 2018 US Open, where they first met.
After that, they did not play again until 2026, when Sabalenka won all three encounters in Indian Wells, Madrid, and the French Open.
Reflecting on their 2018 match, Sabalenka recalled predicting Osaka's future success.
“When she won that match, I had a feeling she is going to win a Slam,” she said, referring to Osaka's victory over Serena Williams five days later.
Osaka went on to win three more Grand Slam titles before taking a hiatus for mental health and maternity leave.
During that period, Sabalenka broke through to win the 2023 Australian Open.
“Obviously [we have a] different story,” Sabalenka said. “She went through different things.
I went through different things. I feel like we both were completely different players and people.”
Sabalenka described their rivalry as “great” and said she enjoys every match. “It's a battle, it's high-level matches.
Super excited to play her,” she added.
Osaka acknowledged Sabalenka's status as world number one. “She's the number one player in the world,” Osaka said.
“If there is someone I had to lose to, I would pick that ranking position.”
Neither player has won a WTA title on grass, but Osaka enters with momentum after reaching the Bad Homburg Open final last month, where she increased her average first-serve speed to 109 mph.
“I've been doing really well on grass this year. My confidence is pretty high,” she said.
Osaka admitted she previously struggled with movement on grass due to a bad fall. “I don't fear it too much any more.
When I was younger I slipped pretty bad and ever since then I was scared of moving on grass,” she said.
“It's taken a long time to get comfortable but I would say I am at that point now.”
Sabalenka has historically fared better at Wimbledon than Osaka, though the tournament remains the only Grand Slam where she has not reached the final.
“The plan is to get better every day and do a little bit better than I usually do on this beautiful grass,” she said.
