PARIS, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated Japan's Naomi Osaka to reach the women's singles quarterfinals at the French Open on Monday, while three Italians advanced to the men's singles last eight.
Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, moved closer to a first Roland Garros title with a 7-5, 6-3 fourth-round win over Osaka. The world No. 1 is the only top-six women's seed left in the draw.
"I'm not really overthinking. Anything can happen. That's tennis. That's sport," said Sabalenka. "I'm just trying once again to be focused on myself and make sure that when I'm there competing, I'm bringing my best level that I have. I'm fighting and doing everything I can to get this trophy."
Sabalenka will next face Russia's Diana Shnaider, who upset American Madison Keys 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
In men's singles action, Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi all won their fourth-round matches.
No. 10 seed Cobolli defeated American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), while Berrettini beat Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6). Arnaldi outlasted American Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
"I was starting to be a little bit nervous, also with my team. Sometimes you have to pass this moment to have more chance to be better on the next one. So I think I just played my tennis without thought, and at the end, it works," Cobolli said.
Berrettini, a former Wimbledon finalist, continued his comeback at Roland Garros.
"After all the setbacks, all the injuries, all the bad moments, I came back once again," he said. "There were moments where it was really tough to come back and play, because I wasn't ready, and I wasn't sure about my confidence. Now I feel great."
Arnaldi called his win over Tiafoe the best match he had played.
"I don't know how I'm standing here, to be honest," Arnaldi said. "I think at one point it wasn't tennis, it was just something else, you just played with everything you had. There had to be a winner, and fortunately it was me tonight."
Cobolli will face fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in the quarterfinals, while Berrettini and Arnaldi will meet in an all-Italian clash.
Also Monday, China's Guo Hanyu and France's Kristina Mladenovic beat the third-seeded pair of Zhang Shuai of China and Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-2, 6-4 to reach the women's doubles quarterfinals. ■
