Aryna Sabalenka is a "definitely yes" to future Roland Garros night sessions after Naomi Osaka win

At 2023 Roland Garros, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Sloane Stephens in a night session on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach the quarterfinals.

It would take three years for a women’s match to get another primetime call at the clay-court major—and Sabalenka once again emerged victorious in a showdown with a fellow Grand Slam champion.

The world No. 1 improved to 3-0 against Naomi Osaka this season, claiming a 7-5, 6-3 victory on Monday to take another step toward her first major title away from hard courts.  Sabalenka fired 12 aces and was broken just once in the 87-minute win.

Afterwards, both athletes spoke positively about the experience of being scheduled for the single-match session under the lights.

“If they would come back to me and ask, ‘Would you like to play night session? I would say, ‘Yes, definitely yes.’ The atmosphere was really cool,” Sabalenka shared in her press conference.

“But at the same time, I have nothing against playing the first match or second match, because then you have more time to rest and to recover.”

Reflected Osaka on the experience, “The last time I remember playing, like, a semi-night match here was obviously against Iga, but I was told it wasn't the official night match. I am honored that the tournament chose us to play in this slot, and I hope that going forward that they will continue to do so.

“Shout-out to the tournament for trusting us. I hope it was entertaining for people.”

Sabalenka has now advanced to the quarterfinals or better at the past 14 majors she’s entered, including four in a row here. The 2025 runner-up is the lone member of the WTA’s Top 5 to get through to the final eight, with four-time champion Iga Swiatek bowing out Sunday to Marta Kostyuk. Elina Svitolina and Mirra Andreeva are her only Top 10 peers to survive a slew of surprising results that have dominated headlines across both the women’s and men’s draws.

“I was able to kind of separate myself from what's going on this year at Roland Garros. I have been around,” said Sabalenka, who faces No. 25 seed Diana Shnaider next. “Anything can happen. That's tennis. That's sport.”

In her proverbial bubble, Sabalenka wasn’t up to speed on the significant news making waves within the sport. Learning of Serena Williams stepping out of retirement to begin a doubles comeback at The Queen’s Club in London next week, the 28-year-old declared, “it’s very good news for tennis.”

“She has a really cool personality. She's fun, and she's a legend. It's inspiring to see,” the Belarusian said. “I'm actually excited to see her play and probably face her, so it's very cool.”