Naomi Osaka produced a serving masterclass to claim her first win over a top-10 player this season and reach the quarter-finals of the US Open for the first time in five years.
The 23rd seed produced a solid performance throughout her 6-3, 6-2, win over the third seed and 2023 champion Coco Gauff. Osaka was particularly effective behind her serve, where she won 84% of points (32/38) and capitalized heavily on her rival’s unforced error tally of 33. It is the first time she has reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam event since returning to the Tour at the start of last season following the birth of her first child.
“I’m a little sensitive, and I don’t want to cry, but honestly, I just had so much fun out here,” Osaka said on court after her dominant win.
“I was in the stands two months after I gave birth to my daughter, watching Coco. I just really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play.
“This is my favorite court in the world, and it means so much to me to be back here.”
Since Wimbledon, Osaka has won 11 out of 13 matches played on North American hardcourts. Last month, she recorded four wins over top-30 players to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event in Canada before losing to Victoria Mboko.
“I played a match in Montreal where I had to save two match points. Ever since then, I started thinking like, anything’s possible and you just have to try your best and have a smile on your face,” she said of her recent resurgence.
Two-time champion Osaka got off to a dream start on the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Throughout the opening set, she lost just two points behind her serve against the world No.3 and reigning French Open champion. In contrast, Gauff’s unforced error count of 16, which was three times more than that of her opponent, was her undoing. The American was broken in her opening service game after producing a few errors with her groundstrokes. Then at 4-5, Gauff hit two unforced errors in a row, and then two points later, a double fault to hand Osaka the set after 32 minutes of play.
Initially, it appeared that Osaka would be in for a tougher battle in the second frame, with the first five games going with serve. However, Gauff then faltered once again at the worst possible time. A forehand shank handed Osaka two break points, which she converted by hitting a deep shot that drew another error from the backhand side of the home favourite. Surging to one of the most emphatic victories of her career, she closed the match out with the help of back-to-back mistakes from a lackluster Gauff, who exits the tournament with plenty to think about.
“I look up to her a lot. I think the way that she conducts herself is really special,” Osaka said in tribute to Gauff.
“To be such an amazing role model at such a young age is a gift, and it’s a talent that she has. I have all the respect in the world for her.”
Osaka has now won 27 singles matches at the US Open, which is more than she has won at any other WTA event.
