Naomi Osaka says she is ‘excited’ for her upcoming clash against Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the China Open.
Osaka, who is unseeded in the draw, secured the showdown after beating Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2, on Monday in just under 80 minutes. The world No.73 didn’t face a break point throughout her latest match as she won 82% of her first service points. She has now won three consecutive matches in Beijing which is the first time she has done so on the Tour since May.
“For me, I wanted to keep growing from my last match,” wtatour.com quoted Osaka as saying afterwards. “I was just trying to be really aggressive from the beginning. … I felt like I really shouldn’t care too much about my unforced errors rather than just keeping her on the move.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion is the only former champion in the China Open draw this year. She claimed the title in 2019 after beating Ash Barty in the final. All seven of her career titles have been on a hardcourt but the last time she won a trophy was over three years ago at the 2021 Australian Open.
Osaka’s next test will be against fourth seed Gauff. It will be their fifth meeting on the Tour with their head-to-head level at 2-2. Gauff has beaten France’s Clara Burel and 26th seed Katie Boulter so far in the tournament.
“I think it’s going to be a really cool test for me,” Osaka said of facing Gauff. “She’s played really well this year. … I’m excited to play the match, and I know people are excited to watch the match.”
The upcoming match will be the first time two Grand Slam champions have faced each other in the fourth round of the China Open since 2016. On that occasion, Petra Kvitova defeated Garbine Muguruza.
