Grass is greener for Pavlyuchenkova in third-round win over Osaka at Wimbledon
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova edged out Naomi Osaka 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday. She’ll face the winner of the match between French qualifier Diane Parry and Sonay Kartal in the next round
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Wimbledon 2025 | © Imago / PsNewz
It took over two hours (123 minutes) to decide between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Naomi Osaka in one of the most exciting third-round matchups scheduled this Friday at Wimbledon. The Russian sealed the win on her first match point, capitalising on Osaka’s 27th unforced error, in a match that seemed headed for a tense final stretch that Court No 2 was ready to savor (3-6, 6-4, 6-4).
Struggling for form since her quarterfinal run at the Australian Open last January, the now 34-year-old Pavlyuchenkova – who celebrated her birthday on Thursday – showed that experience still allows her to deliver results at key moments in the season. It’s her first time reaching the second week at Wimbledon since 2016, while Osaka has yet to make the last 16 of a Grand Slam since the 2021 Australian Open.
“The court is slow, so I needed time to find my rhythm and my game,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “She serves very well, so the slow grass helped me. In the three matches I’ve won so far, I’ve been mentally very strong, because I’ve long considered myself someone who doesn’t like grass. So far, so good. I’m having a great time.”
The Russian eventually prevailed in this topsy-turvy match by proving more resilient than her opponent. Pavlyuchenkova had the merit of responding immediately in the second set, breaking serve right away after dropping the first set (6-3), where the gap between Osaka’s serve (7 aces) and her own (3 double faults) had made the difference.
OSAKA’S MISSED BREAK POINT CHANCES
She also kept her nerve—despite receiving a warning for racket abuse—after failing to convert two break points for 4-0 and then another for 4-2, with Osaka clawing back to 3-3. Nevertheless, the former Roland-Garros finalist (2021), “taking it point by point,” as she told Jenny Drummond on court, eventually broke Osaka’s rhythm with her aggression.
In the second and third sets, Osaka could not replicate the serving and returning quality she showed in the first, nor the consistency she needed to withstand the attacks of Pavlyuchenkova, once coached by her current coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Osaka will mainly regret letting slip two break points at 4-4 in the second set, which would have allowed her to serve for the match. “She converted the break points that I didn’t,” Osaka summarized in a press conference where she once again appeared deeply affected by her performance.
World No 50 Pavlyuchenkova will face the winner of the upcoming match between French qualifier Diane Parry and Sonay Kartal.
World No. 53 Osaka had reached the third round by defeating Australian qualifier Talia Gibson (6–4, 7–6 [4]) and Czech player Katerina Siniakova (6–3, 6–2).
