World number one Aryna Sabalenka eased into the Indian Wells quarter-finals with a dominant 6-2 6-4 victory over Naomi Osaka.
In their first meeting since 2018, the 27-year-old Belarusian needed just 80 minutes to overcome the 16th seed.
Sabalenka’s powerful serve and relentless backhands proved too much for Osaka, who is still finding her top form following her return to the tour last year.
“I’m happy that I put so much pressure on her today,” Sabalenka said. “My serve worked well… Happy with my performance for sure.”
The day’s biggest shock came from 21-year-old Australian qualifier Talia Gibson. Ranked 112th in the world, Gibson claimed her first top-10 scalp by upsetting world number seven Jasmine Paolini 7-5 2-6 6-1.
Gibson’s historic run makes her the first qualifier in 11 years to reach the tournament’s quarter-finals.
