Wimbledon '26: Naomi & Coco rock the tennis world, FAA sets Djokovic duel

Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff are each one win away from a blockbuster Wimbledon semifinal showdown after earning massive round of 16 victories at the championships. Osaka got her revenge vs Aryna Sabalenka with an rare straight-sets win. Meanwhile Coco Gauff was astronomically clutch in her last-minute win vs Belinda Bencic. 

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Transcript

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Both Naomi Osaka and Coco Golf proved me wrong on Sunday, doing their biggest of big ones to reach their maiden Woman quarterfinals. We're now one round away from a blockbuster Osaka golf semifinal at the SW19, but both Naomi and Coco have tricky opponents next up, and Carolina Muhova and Jessica Pagula respectively. Meanwhile, on the men's side, Yannick Center and Nova Djokovic are each one win away from a meeting in the Final Four. Although Felix Oje Aliasim and Yanlin R. Struf would have something to say about that. I'll analyze Naomi and Coco's standout wins and look ahead briefly to Tuesday's quarterfinals before predicting who I think will inch closer to one woman in glory. Hello, my name is Christian Bass Knight. Welcome to Christian's Quote, where I cover tennis from all angles. If you're not yet already, make sure you subscribe and click the notification bell so you're notified whenever I post more Woman updates and content. Yes, as y'all can tell, I am home from my crew, so very happy to be back in my own space. Although I do kind of miss the vacation vibes of it all, but it's time to get right back into business. And of course, getting into the action from Sunday, after losing three round of 16 matches in a row to Arena Sabulanka this year alone, Naomi Osaka finally got her lick back and did so in an emphatic way. As for the first time in five and a half years, Arina Sabulanka has lost in straight sets at a major after Osaka claimed a 6'2, 7-6 victory to reach her maiden woman in quarterfinal, and it's her first non-hard court stamp quarterfinal as well. Now, when asked about her thoughts about the match, Sabalenka said that her level was considerably low while Osaka's was very high. But is this entirely true? Now the major advantage for Sabalenka in her previous wins over Naomi was her serve. At Indian Wells and Rolland Girls, especially, she served at a considerably higher level than Naomi. She hit 12 aces. Naomi, meanwhile, didn't really serve as strong as I think she could have in those matches. The roles, though, were reversed today or were reversed on Sunday at Wimbledon because Osaka's serve was lethal. She wasn't broken at all and she only faced two break points. She finished with eight aces, one double fault, and won 87% of her first serve points. So she won or she dropped just five points whenever she made a first serve in play. And she also had a pretty high second serve points one rate at 61% second serve points one. And Naomi did an amazing job protecting her serve, especially in the second set, as she allowed zero break points in set number two, and she hit 70% of her first serves in and dropped just one point behind her first serve and this entire second set, which is incredible. And the placement of her serves was also phenomenal, and it prevented Sabalanka from doing what I think she should have been doing, which was attacking Naomi, or not attacking, but going hard and deep to Naomi up the middle. When Naomi is serving this well, you simply have to take your chances. And there were just a few slight openings for Arena to break in the second set. At 2-115 all, there was a weak second serve, but Sal Blanca flubbed it into the net. Then at 5-4 in the second set, Sal Blanca, I think, saw a few more second serve looks, but could not take advantage. And I think overall Sal Blanca's return was off, especially compared to in Paris. The timing, I think, could have been an issue for her. But on the bright side for Sal Blanca, I think she did a good job of holding on to her serve like she did in the second set. She did have to work much harder than Osaka to hold serve, and she could have lost more convincingly, Sabulanka, but she was able to save a couple of break points in some tight service games. But I do think that Naomi's superior serving ultimately paid off in the tie break, where she out Sabalanka to Sabulanka and Arena, her 21 tie break win streak in majors was snapped. And Naomi was just peak, honestly. She only missed one serve, and she was also just stronger from the ground and used that backhand down the line well again here to get Sal Blanca on the move and you know win the point. And we also saw just one too many unforced errors from the Belarusian. Now, this was their first meeting on grass, and I definitely think that this surface favors Naomi. In my opinion, I think Grass is Sal Blanca's weakest surface, and I think she's more vulnerable against the bigger, flatter hitters because they can rush her, especially on the more shaky forehand, and they're able to force more errors from that side on Salanka, due to her, I think having a bigger take back. I also think Naomi had a clear, smart strategy of directing a lot of her ground strokes to the Salanka forehand. As Salanka misfired on that wing badly, a few times, especially in the opening set, even on balls that didn't have a lot of pace. She missed long just badly. And Osaka went out on a lot of the forehand and forehand rallies, and her forehand was just stronger, it was more penetrable, and her cross-court forehand, especially was very lethal. Still, Osaka, I think, played high margin tennis. And I think Naomi did a great job of knowing when to step up and force the issue and also when to kind of step back a little bit and hang in the rallies a little bit longer to try to outlast Sablanka. And as predicted, Sablanka's variety wasn't as big of a factor here in this match. The slices and drop shots, I think, are more difficult to execute with how well Naomi was hitting the ball and with the conditions just playing quicker on the grass. And Arena, in their previous matches, she was able to use different heights and spins to keep Naomi out of her comfort zone. She did this a few times today, but just not to much avail due to the lower bouncing grass. This is a really considerable result. And the main reason of why I had Sabalenka winning this, and my prediction is that she tends to raise her level for these big matches. And her level, it wasn't atrocious, but it just wasn't high enough. Naomi was able to raise her level. And this is the first time, too, that Sablanka has been beaten at a major before the quarterfinal in exactly 1,500 days since the 2022 Rolling Girls tournament. And it's also the first time that Sablanka had been beaten in straight sets out of slams since the 2020 US Open over 2,000 years days ago. And I really do think that her loss to Haley Baptiste in the Madrid quarterfinals, where she was able to cash in on six match points, definitely caused this shift because since then she has not made a final. And it really hasn't been all that long. But I feel like Salablanka's aura just isn't quite the same, honestly speaking. And definitely part of it has to do with it not being on her favorite surface hardcourts. Also, too, I think she has had good moments, namely when she beat Osaka at Roland Girls and her last round against Oster Panka was at a high level. And at the end of the day, you just gotta tip your cap to Naomi for just how well she played. And this is Naomi's first ever win on center court. Mind you, she had never won a set on center court before this match against Sablanka. And she previously spoke about how center court kind of scares her, but she handled the occasion very well. I think she had a really strong demeanor with her. I thought against Sabalenka at Roland Garrett, she was a little bit too subdued. But here she was not too subdued. She had the right amount of you know energy and pumping herself up, but was also very poised out there. And this is huge because she finally got herself that big statement win. Yes, she did beat Coco at the US Open in the fourth round, but this just felt bigger, you know. And I think with this win, this could be the win that gives her that belief truly to get over the hump and finally get that Fit Slam title. And right now, Osaka is the odds maker's favorite with her taking out Sabalenka as Sabalenka, I believe, was previously the odds maker's favorite to win it all. I still think that Jessica Bagula might be the favorite, at least she's my favorite right now. I also think it's something with Naomi just preventing her from doing her biggest one. You know what I mean? Like she still has yet to win a title in over five years. We can't underestimate the effect that has. I also think that if Naomi faces a better returner on that day, she could be a lot more vulnerable. But up next for Osaka, of course, is Carolina Muhova, who reached her third woman in quarterfinal with a 7-5, 5-7-6-3 victory over her countrywoman, Babora Krashikova. I think this was the highest quality match that we saw on Sunday, and it was very entertaining from both women who have, of course, a lot of variety. And I think it could have been a more straightforward win for Carolina. She was up 5-2 in the second set and was two points away from the win on multiple occasions in the second set. But Kushikova battled hard, and Mujovo was able to regain control in the final set where she hit 13 winners for unforced heirs. I also think that Barbora did falter a little bit physically in the end. Now, we are now guaranteed a new first-time Wolverine singles champion with the exit of the 2024 champion Kanichikova, and this means that we will have 10 different ladies' winners in the last 10 editions of the tournament, which is insane. But who will it be is the question. Now, looking at this Osaka Mujova match, the head-to-head is tied at three apiece, and this is their fourth slam meeting. Naomi won their meetings at the Australian Open and the US Open last year. Mujova won their 2024 US Open match. Although Naomi was still, you know, coming back from the maternity layoff in that year. But Carolina did recently win their bot on board final, although it was not completed as Muhova was leading 6-1-1 love when Osaka pulled the plug due to a foot problem. Now Naomi is 5-0 in spam quarterfinals, and I think that she does indeed play her best tennis at this stage. However, this is gonna be a tougher matchup for Osaka, I think, compared to Sabulanka. And I think the slices of Mujova can stay lower, and overall the rhythm can be tougher for Osaka to handle. I think Carolina can take Naomi out of her own rhythm and out of her own element. But I think this result more so depends on which Osaka shows up. I think if she still serves like how she did against Sabulanka, she'll win. But if she sees a little bit of a drop-off, the edge might be shifted in Muhova's favor. But still, with how well that she has been playing, I think that her level will be high enough to take her through. So I'm putting Osaka through in three sets to make the semifinals. Joining Naomi in the first time Woman quarterfinalist club is Coco Goff. As the 22-year-old battle back to defeat Belinda Bencic 4'6, 6364, becoming the youngest American to reach the quarterfinals at all four majors since Serena Williams did it in 2001. This milestone definitely did not come easy for golf. There were a lot of twists and turns in this match, and Coco started out really strong. She was really aggressive-minded and in control of a lot of the points. She struck the ball very well and used the forehand down the line to great effect. The serve though was so so for Coco. She hit like five double faults in her second service game alone, but was still able to hold for three love. I have to say there's no reason for Coco to have lost this first set. She had two break points for a four-love lead, but once she could not convert, the wheels just came off. Her forehand broke down badly, and Benchich actually started playing better and was attacking Coco serve and redirected well up the line. And Coco still had like a break point at 4-3 to serve for the set at 5-3, but wasn't able to convert. And she finished the first set with nine winners, 24 unforced errors in this first set, just very poor. Safe to say though that Coco was much cleaner in the final two sets, where she hit 26 winners and 22 unforced errors combined in those last two sets. And she really just entered lockdown mode at one point where she hit with more controlled aggression but wasn't missing a whole lot and just wasn't also missing those four hand returns like she was before. The level was a bit shaky at times from golf, and she typically, I think, played her best when she was down on the score line, and when she led, she was a little bit more off with the forehand. I think the timing was off, but ultimately Coco did finish strong, especially in the final 5-4 game. And I was so so impressed with her and her ability to close out this match because there was a lot of pressure on Coco with the curfew coming. And on the changeover, it was about 10 56, and the tournament officials made it very clear that this will be the final game that will be played on Sunday. And if Coco did not hold serve, then they would have to come back and finish the match on Monday today. So a lot was riding on this one. And honestly, I was expecting Coco to get broken. I was expecting a shaky service game with a few double faults, a few strength forehands, but Coco didn't make a single error in this game. And I think a huge reason for this is just the serve improvements that she's made with Gavin McMillan. And I like how overall she continued to be committed and going for both her first and second serves and wasn't just okay, content with spinning it in. I think also, too, she had to do this or else Belinda would attack. And on that note, I really do think that Belinda Benchic brings some of the best tennis out of Coco. We saw a lot of extended rallies, which Coco came out on top of. And I think that we really see more of Coco's all-court game. She was able to venture forward a lot more in this match, especially in the third set, where she won 11 or 13 net points. And she also used the drop shot well and tested the 29-year-old's legs. And we saw the same thing in the Miami Open where she wore down Belinda in the end. And ultimately, Coco is just a superior three-set player, and she just plays her best tennis, it seems like, in these moments. And a lot of it is physical. She is the most physically fit player on tour and can outlast these women. And she now improves to 24 and 7 in three-set matches at the majors. And I again am so impressed with Coco for her to go from not winning a grass match in two years to making her first woman in quarterfinal is huge. And again, I think the serve laid the foundation for this run. I also think her defensive skills have helped her a lot. She's used more slices and is able to reset the point a lot of times. And also her ability to come forward and finishing off points at the net has helped a lot. And again, I think the grass forces Coco to be more aggressive and also use more of her all around all-around game. Although I do believe that this was building from how she played her matches in the clay season sometimes. And I said this on Instagram and TikTok, but no matter what happens next, this feels like a win, Coco making the quarterfinals, especially considering how things look for her coming into this tournament with the grass court losing streak. Also, let's have a moment for the celebration, man. I I love that. And if Coco goes on to win this title, Rolex needs to use this as a little one of their commercials that they show typically after one of their sponsored players wins the slam. That's an easy slam dunk that Coco gave them. Now things will not be easy moving forward at all for Coco. She next faces off against Jessica Pagula, who reached her second woman in quarter final with a 4-6-6-3-6-1 win over Eva Jovic. Now, I honestly didn't watch a lot of this match as I was flying back from my cruise when this one was going on, but I did notice that there was a lot of breaks of serve in the opening set, seven in total. But once Pagula improved her serving in the final two sets, it was a wrap for Yovich, and that was just the big difference maker. But looking at this golf Pagula matchup, just Khalise the head-to-head five to three. Many of their matches are tight, and the grass head-to-head though is tied at one apiece. And I do think that Pagula will be able to test Coco's forehand probably the most this tournament thus far with her flatter ground strokes, flatter, harder ground strokes, especially with it being on grass and this being lower bouncing. I don't think that Coco can afford to play the same level that she did in the first set against Benchic here if she wants to beat Pagula. And I do think that Pagula is coming into this one as a favorite. Still, despite Coco's improvements, she is the stronger player on grass. That said, I believe that Coco is the better player in these sort of occasions in the latter stages of slams. And really, she tends to play better against tougher opposition. Like against a lower-ranked player, I think Coco has more pressure. But we saw here against Bencic, even though again the first set was scrappy, she played much better than how she played, in my opinion, against Lou and against Sierra. And I expect maybe another level raise from golf here. And if that does happen, then watch out Pagula. Again, it's a similar thing to where I can see Coco take this one as well, despite her not being the favorite. But because I had her opponent, in this case Pagula, winning their hypothetical matchup and my tournament preview, I'm gonna be sticking with Pagula to come through in three sets to make her first woman and semifinal. Now moving on and talking now about the men's side, undoubtedly the edgiest men's match on Sunday was Felix OJ Aliyassim's 6'7 victory over Alejandro Davidovich Hokkina. This was a very, very entertaining match, and it included perhaps the point of the tournament at 3-1 in the fourth set. Now, this match could have gone very different ways. I think Felix could have gone down two sets to love as he saved three set points in the second set before winning it in the tie break. And then also Felix could have won this match in four sets instead of five, as he had two match points up 5-3 in the third set, and then he fought to serve out the match at 5-4. And crazy enough, this was the first and only time where he was broken on serve in this tournament. But in this 5-4 game, Davidovich Joachina went over on his left ankle and sought treatment in the middle of this game at 1540 on Felix's serve. And then once Davidovic Joaquina came back on court after receiving his treatment, Felix immediately double faulted and ultimately lost the set. And I thought at this point, oh god, not another bad five-set loss with Felix against Davidovich Falkina. As again, I'm getting flashbacks from their 2025 Australian Open match. But Felix locked all the way in in the fifth set and took it comfortably. And still, though he was not happy, clearly, with Davidovich Falkina's mid-game treatment, as he checked him at the handshake. And I was really impressed. I've seen a different side of Felix this past 12 months. Like he's not taking any BS. I really think that Roland Garrow's loss to Kaboli pissed him off, hence why he shaved his head. And he ultimately did say in the press that he believes that the rules should change to prohibit such mid-game treatments. He said it's a disgrace of a rule. So, I mean, I like this file from Felix, and honestly, I kind of agree. I do kind of agree. I think that it should be the end of a game before a player receives treatment because that's just ridiculous. So I honestly wouldn't have smoke with the deep with Davidovich Falkina, more so with the system for allowing stuff like this to happen. But up next for Felix, it's none other than seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, who defeated Roman Safulin, the qualifier from Russia, 7-6-63-3663. Novak breaks Roger Federer's woman record for 106 wins in singles here at SW19. But really, another solid four-set win from Novak. Things could have been more complicated as he staged a pretty good combat recovering from 2-5 down in the opening set. The head-to-head between Djokovic and FAA is tied at one apiece, although their last meeting was in 2022, so we can't really read too much into the history. I honestly do think that Felix has what it takes to get this win. I think he has played better. His serving has been obviously great. I do think though that still, while he's shown improvements in the mental regard, Novak is just Novak for a reason. And while I can again see Felix get this win, I ultimately think that Novak will find something, uh find that next gear, and I'm gonna have him win this one in five sets. The top seed and defending champion, meanwhile, Yannick Center defeated Shintaro Mochizuki 6'363. I really have not been that impressed with Yannick thus far in this tournament. He has been given a good draw that gets even better though, as he next gets world number 74, Jan Lenstruf in the quarterfinal, who got a 3-6-6-7-7-6-7-5-4-2 retirement win over Hubert Herkoch. Herkoc cited ab discomfort as his reason for the retirement. And it's just unlucky for the Polishman because I feel like he just cannot break through to get back to where he really should be, which is at the top. And this was supposed to be his redemption tournament after he injured his knee two years ago, but still a great moment for Struf, who at 36 is the oldest man in the open era to reach his maiden major quarterfinal. Yannick leased the head-to-head three to nothing against Struve, although Jan Lennart did push their last match to 76 in the third set, which was on grass in Holly back in 2024. And Struve has been playing well this tournament, getting quality wins over Nakashima and Medvedev. I think he does have the firepower and net prowess to disrupt center. But the question is, how will Yannick, or how will Jan Lennart, I mean, deal with this occasion of playing in his first Lam semi-f quarter final? And also the fatigue could settle in with him as well from having played three, five setters. And with that, I'm gonna have Yannick take this one and actually in straight sets. But that is all I have for this Woman in Day 7 recap video. Let me know your thoughts on Naomi and Coco standout wins, and if you think that they can both move on to set up that blockbuster semifinal match. Again, make sure you subscribe and click that notification bell so you are notified whenever I post my woman in day eight recap video. Thank y'all so much for watching and for your support. I'll see you all next time here on the Christians tour.