Sabalenkova aces Michael Jackson’s moonwalk after beating Osaka at French Open: Video

The stadium lights above Court Philippe-Chatrier caught the dust hanging in the cold Parisian night as Aryna Sabalenkova did the unthinkable. Having just booked her place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 French Open, the world number one paused, tilted her head and channeled her inner Michael Jackson. Sliding backwards on crushed bricks, she performed a flawless moonwalk that would have made the King of Pop proud.

Seeing the powerhouse athlete move with such fluid retrospective grace on the clay, a surface notorious for its thick friction, was an incredible piece of late-night showmanship that completely mesmerized the crowd.

Everyone knows she’s always loved dancing and her locker room routines have often gone viral on social media, but performing this iconic routine during an on-court interview was a great surprise that absolutely delighted the Parisian crowd, who stayed up late into the night to watch the headliners of the evening.

Before the dance, however, there was a brutal physical competition. Sabalenka had to earn her moment of ease by overcoming a fiercely determined Naomi Osaka. The match was a blistering exhibition of baseline strength, with both players hitting the ball with incredible speed that sounded like gunfire bouncing off concrete floors.

Osaka started with aggressive intent, trying to dictate the rhythm and push the top seed out of their comfort zone. Sabalenka remained unconcerned, leaning heavily on her massive server to quell any cooking difficulties. She fired twelve aces throughout the match and remained clinically effective at crucial moments to secure a 7-5, 6-3 victory. It was a performance that highlighted her tactical maturity under immense pressure.

This triumph is only the latest chapter in the larger story of Sabalenka’s dominance on tour. Over the past few seasons, she has gone from a volatile power hitter to an incredibly consistent, ruthless world No. 1 hitter. Her ability to effectively transfer her aggressive game to European clay has made her the most feared competitor on the circuit.

On Monday, she became the first player to reach the women’s singles quarterfinals in each of her first six Grand Slam main draws since world No. 1 Serena Williams.

It was her fourth advance to the Roland Garros quarterfinals. The world number one, who has won 31 of her last 34 matches on tour, looks hungrier than ever to conquer the clay after she lost the Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina earlier in January.

Next up is an interesting quarter-final match against rising twenty-five seed Diana Shnaider. While Sabalenka enters the contest as a heavy favorite, Shnaider has the versatility and fearless attitude needed to make things uncomfortable if the top seed loses focus.

The wider landscape of the women’s singles draw has completely shifted after the shock departure of Iga Swiatek. The Polish specialist on clay, a four-time champion in Paris, was stunned by Marta Kostyuk in the previous round. Swiatek’s early exit opened up the bottom half of the draw and removed a major obstacle to a title shot.

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

02 Jun 2026 03:28 IST