Sabalenka, Osaka Clash in Blockbuster French Open Tie

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning her Women's 3rd round match against Daria Kasatkina of Australia at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 30 May 2026. (EPA)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning her Women's 3rd round match against Daria Kasatkina of Australia at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 30 May 2026. (EPA)
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Sabalenka, Osaka Clash in Blockbuster French Open Tie

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning her Women's 3rd round match against Daria Kasatkina of Australia at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 30 May 2026. (EPA)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning her Women's 3rd round match against Daria Kasatkina of Australia at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 30 May 2026. (EPA)

Four-time Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka will go head-to-head in the first French Open women's night match in three years on Monday, as a host of men's players eye a maiden major quarter-final.

World number one Sabalenka will likely face a stern test in her bid to win a maiden Roland Garros crown after suffering an agonizing loss to Coco Gauff in last year's final.

A resurgent Osaka has powered into the French Open last 16 for the first time in her career, looking more at home than ever before on the Parisian clay.

It will be only the fourth meeting, all at the last-16 stage of tournaments, between two of the biggest stars in the sport.

Osaka edged their first encounter en route to the 2018 US Open title and then they never met again until this year.

Sabalenka saw off her Japanese opponent in straight sets in Indian Wells, before fighting back from a set down to win at the Madrid Open.

They renew their rivalry with a quarter-final against either former Australian Open champion Madison Keys or Russia's Diana Shnaider up for grabs.

"It's great, great to see her back on her level. Maybe not at her best level, but she's back, she's fighting, she's building her level," said Sabalenka of Osaka, who took a break from tennis in 2023 to give birth to her daughter.

"It's nice to see her. She's a great player, great person. I feel like I really enjoy our battles. It's high-level matches, and I really enjoy when somebody pushes me to the limit."

Osaka struggled initially for form after rejoining the tour, but reached the US Open semi-finals last year, the first time she had made the second week of a Grand Slam event since winning her second Australian Open title in 2021.

"I really wanted to make it a goal to do really well on clay and grass," said Osaka, who has never got past the third round at Wimbledon.

"I don't want this to be my last round. I want to keep going. I just want to keep focusing on every match."

Osaka has been wearing a sequined, gold dress in Paris, which she likened to the Eiffel Tower at night, but has said she may switch things up for the night session.

The last remaining French player Diane Parry will be hoping to emulate last year's surprise semi-finalist Lois Boisson and continue her dream run, going up against Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

Austrian 28th seed Anastasia Potapova looks to back up her win over defending champion Coco Gauff when she faces Anna Kalinskaya.

- Wide-open men's draw -

World number six Felix Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked player left in the top half of the men's draw after the shock exit of Jannik Sinner and an early defeat for Ben Shelton.

The Canadian will bid to reach his first French Open quarter-final when he plays Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, in the last 16 of a Slam event for the first time.

World number 85 Zachary Svajda had only won two Grand Slam matches before this tournament, but even he took notice of Sinner's loss.

"When I saw Sinner was out, I try to stay present and stay positive and just take it day by day, match by match," said the American, who takes on Italian 10th seed Flavio Cobolli.

"I knew the draw was open, but I just tried to keep doing my routines, keep doing what I've been doing, and just see what happens."

Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini targets his first Slam quarter-final since 2022 when he goes up against Sinner's conqueror Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Frances Tiafoe, who lost to Lorenzo Musetti in the last eight 12 months ago, plays another Italian in Matteo Arnaldi.



Eala Ready to Disappear for a Bit After Breakout Season Comes to an End

 Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in their women's singles semi-final match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in their women's singles semi-final match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Eala Ready to Disappear for a Bit After Breakout Season Comes to an End

 Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in their women's singles semi-final match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates after beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in their women's singles semi-final match at the Hong Kong Tennis Open in Hong Kong on November 7, 2026. (AFP)

Alex Eala said ‌she is looking forward to lying low for a while after her breakout campaign ended on Sunday with a 6-3 6-0 defeat by American Claire Liu in the Hong Kong Open final.

The 21-year-old, who became the highest-ranked Filipino and Southeast Asian player in WTA history earlier this season, has become a fan favorite ‌this year and ‌her run in Hong ‌Kong ⁠will lift her ⁠to a career-high 15th in the world rankings.

Eala won her first WTA Tour-level title at the Washington Open in August and claimed seven wins over top-10 players across the year. She also won ⁠a bronze medal at the Asian ‌Games last month.

"I ‌didn't know that was on the cards ‌for me, to end the year at ‌15th," she told reporters after the Hong Kong final.

"This whole season, just to top it off with ending the year 15th, it's ‌like dreams are only dreams until they're not."

Asked what her goals ⁠were ⁠for 2027, Eala said she had not spent much time thinking about next season.

"I've been really enjoying the fruits of my labor of this year. Just because it's been one (tournament) and then the other and then the other...

"I'm going to spend time with my family, just lay low, disappear for a little bit," she added.

"Yeah, those are my plans. Just to disappear."


Hamilton Says Tension with Ferrari Teammate Leclerc 'Squashed'

Ferrari's seven-time world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton. Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP
Ferrari's seven-time world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton. Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP
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Hamilton Says Tension with Ferrari Teammate Leclerc 'Squashed'

Ferrari's seven-time world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton. Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP
Ferrari's seven-time world champion British driver Lewis Hamilton. Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP

Lewis Hamilton said he and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc had "squashed" the tension between them that followed their first lap tangle in Mexico.

He said they had resolved to work together for the team in Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, AFP reported.

The seven-time champion spoke after qualifying 11th in Saturday's rain-hit qualifying at Interlagos where he will start Sunday's race from the back of the grid after taking a penalty for using two new engines.

When asked if his relationship with Leclerc was improved after team boss Fred Vasseur held clear the air talks with them on Thursday evening, Hamilton said: "Fred hasn't cleared the air. It was me and Charles.

"We sat and we spoke, we squashed it. And we're moving on. We still have a huge amount of respect for each other.

"I'm glad we had a chat and now we move on. We've been getting along just fine, as normal.

"Sometimes in those certain scenarios, it just takes having a conversation.

"There's been no demands from either side. It's just been both of us giving our points in areas we can do better and support each other.

"I'm hoping to have better races now, moving forward."

His comments came amid much discussion of Ferrari's need to introduce "rules of engagement" for their drivers, a notion resisted by Vasseur.

Of his qualifying, he said: "I love qualifying and getting to drive in the rain - and this is such an amazing track to race in all conditions, but in the wet particularly.

"It was really a bit of a practice for me in case it is wet again tomorrow."

Leclerc, who had returned to Monaco after Mexico for the birth of his daughter, qualified fourth but will start 14th due to serving a 10-place penalty for taking a new engine.

He agreed he and Hamilton had sorted out their problems.

"When we speak, things are much better straightaway," he said.

"Of course, there is some tension. We want to finish ahead of each other and sometimes we are not going to do things right, but it's OK to disagree sometimes on the way you see things.

"But discussing things helps a whole lot."


Too Close for Comfort for Arteta Despite Arsenal’s Fifth Win in a Row

Arsenal v Hull City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 7, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)
Arsenal v Hull City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 7, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)
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Too Close for Comfort for Arteta Despite Arsenal’s Fifth Win in a Row

Arsenal v Hull City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 7, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)
Arsenal v Hull City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 7, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)

Arsenal earned a sixth ‌Premier League victory by a single-goal margin as they edged a dogged Hull City 1-0 on Saturday but while his side have opened a healthy lead at the top of the table, Mikel Arteta would prefer a little less jeopardy.

Martin Odegaard's 72nd-minute goal after Noni Madueke's shot had been parried by Hull keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis was enough to break Hull's resistance and secure a ninth win for the champions from their first 10 games.

It was not a comfortable ‌afternoon for Arteta, ‌though, as his side had 21 ‌goal ⁠attempts but only ⁠converted once.

"To be more efficient," Arteta told reporters when asked what his side need to do to win by healthier margins.

"We are one against one against the keeper. That's happened twice today. There is a penalty there, there is another situation inside the box where the ball is bouncing. ⁠So many shots that have been deflected, ‌blocked.

"We need to find ways to ‌be more efficient, sometimes even more pragmatic," he added.

"We need ‌to be much more chaotic than that, and that's it. ‌And open, I think, score much earlier because obviously that's going to change the course of the game."

Arsenal were not firing on all cylinders on Saturday but will head into the international ‌break in a dominant position after five successive league wins since losing to Brighton & ⁠Hove Albion ⁠ahead of the first international stoppage.

They are six points clear of stuttering Manchester City and look to be overwhelming favorites for back-to-back titles.

"I think it is time to praise my players. What they have done not only today but after the international break is remarkable because of the games," Arteta said.

"We are not in a really strong position. We know that we can improve in a lot of areas and we'll analyze in this break how we're going to do that. And I will know what to expect afterwards because it's going to be super difficult."