Aryna Sabalenka silences Amanda Anisimova, powers into Roland Garros quarterfinals

Aryna Sabalenka has overcome a negative head-to-head record against Amanda Anisimova, advancing to the quarterfinals of Roland Garros. The world No. 1 showed why she's a title favorite, decisively defeating her opponent 7-5, 6-3, securing her spot in the final eight.

Before the match, the rivalry favored the American, who had won 5 of their 7 previous encounters. However, past history counted for little this time, as the three-time Grand Slam champion secured her 10th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.

Probably one of the trickiest opponents Sabalenka could face at this stage, but she navigated it successfully. The set began with both players holding strong on serve, but Sabalenka earned her first break chances in the 4th game. The Belarusian took a 4-1 lead after about 20 minutes and looked formidable on serve, thanks to a 65% first serve percentage and winning 69% of those points.

However, Anisimova mounted a comeback, rallying from 2-5 down to level at 5-5. Both players seemed evenly matched in terms of winners (12 each in the set) and unforced errors (14 for Sabalenka and 13 for Anisimova). Yet, in the moment of truth, it was the Belarusian who imposed her authority. A break in the 11th game, followed by a strong service game, ultimately gave her the set 7-5.

After a fiercely contested first set, Sabalenka capitalized on the momentum in the second, securing an opening break that allowed her to get ahead 3-0. From there, the world No. 1 dominated the match and held firm on her serve. With a 4-1 lead, Anisimova couldn't do much on return, despite again showing consistency on her own serve.

As the match progressed, Sabalenka found it easier to hold her service games and avoided too many long rallies. The world No. 1 remained solid on her serve from start to finish, faced no new break points in the set. In the final part – with the score 5-2 in Sabalenka's favor – the most contested game of the match was played, with 22 points disputed, where Anisimova managed to save 6 match points to stay in the fight. However, she couldn't do much on the return in the next game, and the world No. 1 closed out the victory 7-5, 6-3.

Sabalenka returns to the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the third consecutive year and now boasts 10 appearances in the final eight of a Grand Slam draw, with a 56-6 record since the 2022 US Open. Her next opponent will be a familiar face: Zheng Qinwen, against whom she holds a favorable 6-1 head-to-head record, though their last encounter was a win for Zheng a couple of weeks ago at the Rome Open – precisely their only clay-court match.