Osaka emotional after US Open win over Sabalenka

Japan’s Naomi Osaka was overcome with emotion after beating Aryna Sabalenka to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open.

The 20th seed came through 6-3 2-6 6-4 in a contest between two 20-year-old’s with huge games, and huge promise.

Osaka edged a tight final set after 26th seed Sabalenka had responded well to dropping the opener, with the pair sharing 50 winners over the course of two hours.

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The prize for ending Sabalenka’s eight-match winning streak is a first major quarterfinal against unseeded Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine, who beat 19-year-old Czech Marketa Vondrousova 6-7(3) 7-5 6-2.

A thrilled Osaka was in tears moments after her victory, and later described what had been a novel experience.

Tears of Joy:

An emotional win for @Naomi_Osaka_ as she outlasts Sabalenka in 3 sets to reach her first ever Grand Slam QF…#USOpen? ? pic.twitter.com/b6flq3WRyh

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2018

“For once in my life I felt like I was the player with more experience, which is very odd for me to say,” said a smiling Osaka.

“I feel like there were moments I knew that to do and maybe, because she’s so young, she was a little hesitant.”

Madison Keys earlier eased into the last eight with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova.

The 14th-seeded American, looking to go one better than her runner-up finish at Flushing Meadows last year, relied on both her dangerous serve and powerful groundstrokes to deny Cibulkova any chance of an upset win.

Cibulkova, who arrived on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court brimming with confidence after toppling Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber in the previous round, countered with a similarly aggressive game to little avail.

With the US Open’s heat advisory put back into effect, the pair traded punishing groundstrokes under the blazing sun and it was Cibulkova who was often pinned well behind the baseline and at the mercy of her opponent.

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Keys has been solid in New York, having dropped a single set through four matches, and turned it up a notch against her 29th-seeded opponent as she lost only 10 points on serve during a 76-minute match in which she was broken once.

Cibulkova, who had not reached this stage of the year’s final Grand Slam since reaching the last eight in 2010, pulled ahead 3-2 in the second set but Keys stormed home from there and clinched the win on her second match point when the Slovak sent a forehand wide.

With the win, Keys becomes only the second woman, after Kerber, to reach the quarter-finals or better at three of the four Grand Slams this year.

Next up for Keys, who was routed by Sloane Stephens in last year’s final, is the winner of the evening clash between five-times Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and Spanish 30th seed Carla Suarez Navarro.