Naomi Osaka stayed in cruise control Friday at the Australian Open, advancing to the fourth round with a straight-sets win over Tunisia's Ons Jabeur.
The three-time Grand Slam winner from Japan took 78 minutes to dispatch world No. 30 Jabeur 6-3, 6-2 and book a showdown with former French Open and Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in the round of 16.
Despite winning four break points and remaining in control from start to finish, No. 3 seed Osaka was made to cover plenty of ground by Jabeur, one of her friends on the tour, whose repertoire included several drop shots.
"It was really fun, (but) I was really nervous and scared, because I didn't know when she was going to hit a drop shot," Osaka said.
Osaka has yet to lose a set in her pursuit of back-to-back Grand Slams following her U.S. Open victory in September.
The 23-year-old continued to receive strong support from the vocal fans in Melbourne, where she was crowned champion in 2019.
"It feels really nice whenever I come here. I feel the energy of you guys," she said.
"I remember the first time I came here...I loved watching from the stands and clapping with everyone, it was super fun."
The blockbuster fourth-round match between Osaka and Muguruza will be the first meeting on the tour between the two former world No. 1 players.
Spanish 14th seed Muguruza earlier in the day breezed through her third-round clash against Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas 6-1, 6-1.
Related coverage:
Tennis: Naomi Osaka powers into Australian Open 3rd round
Tennis: Naomi Osaka advances, Kei Nishikori bows out on Australian Open
Tennis: Osaka slams Tokyo Games chief's negative comments about women
