PARIS - Japan's four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka advanced to the fourth round of the French Open for the first time in her career after beating Iva Jovic of the United States 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 on Saturday.
Former world No. 1 Osaka became the first Japanese player to reach the round of 16 at Roland Garros since Shinobu Asagoe in 2004.
"I do think I'm really grateful for every match that I am able to win, and I just hope that I can keep continuing," said Osaka, who won the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020 and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.
Osaka, currently ranked 16th in the world, will face top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the last 16 on Monday in Paris.
"I played a pretty good match in Madrid," she said, referring to her previous meeting with Sabalenka at the Madrid Open last month, where she was eliminated in the fourth round.
"I think I just dipped in the second and third set. Hopefully I can stay consistent and keep trying to be aggressive. Whatever happens, happens."
After two tightly contested sets decided by tiebreaks, Osaka stayed patient in the decider and relied on her powerful serve.
She fired 12 aces, three times as many as No. 17 seed Jovic, who is 10 years her junior, to seal the victory in her 100th Grand Slam match.
"I feel like one of the reasons I was really calm was because I knew she was young," Osaka said. "I think younger players are some of the scariest players to play, because they have no fear."
"I also knew going into the match that she's a really great player, so I hoped my veteran status could shine through in some moments, and I think it did."
