It’s been a long and winding road for Naomi Osaka, but she appears to be regaining the form that won her four Grand Slam titles. Osaka, seeded No. 23, advanced by defeating No. 3 seed Coco Gauff with scores of 6-3, 6-2, marking her first major quarterfinal since winning the Australian Open in 2021.

Osaka seized on Gauff’s shaky performance early by breaking her serve in the first game, which ended with an unforced error from Gauff. The set continued with a tight exchange of service holds until Osaka broke Gauff once more at 5-3, capitalizing on another double fault.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Osaka maintaining her serve as Gauff struggled under pressure, resulting in multiple errors. Osaka dominated to break Gauff in the sixth game, taking advantage of Gauff’s misplay, ultimately finishing the match with élan.

Reflecting on her performance, Osaka expressed her joy: “Honestly, I just had so much fun out here. This is my favorite court in the world, and it means so much to me to be back here. I want to say thank you to my team for their unwavering support during challenging times.”

Osaka has a track record of winning every Grand Slam after reaching the quarterfinals, which enhances anticipation for her next match against the victors of the matchup between Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk.

Gauff’s Ongoing Struggles

Gauff’s performance was marred by 16 unforced errors and three double faults, with difficulties especially prominent on her forehand. Despite her recent successes, including winning the French Open, Gauff is now working to improve her serve as she copes with the pressure following two early exits this season.