By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, September 1, 2025Photo credit score: Ishikia Samant/Getty
NEW YORK—Bouncing on her toes behind the baseline, Naomi Osaka exuded keen vitality from the beginning.
A masterful Osaka turned blockbuster rematch into mismatch.
Breaking within the first recreation, Osaka was a fierce front-runner crushing an unstable Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 to energy into her first US Open quarterfinal since her 2020 championship run.
The excellent news for Osaka: That is her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since turning into a mother.
The higher information: In every of the prior 4 instances Osaka has reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, she’s gone on to seize the championship.
Over the previous decade, the 2018 and 2020 Flushing Meadows champion Osaka stays the one girl to win two US Open titles in that span. Now, she’s two wins away from enjoying for a 3rd US Open crown.
“I’m slightly delicate. I don’t need to cry,” Osaka advised ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez afterward. “Actually I simply had a lot enjoyable out right here. I used to be within the stands like two months after I gave start to my daughter watching Coco [win the 2023 US Open].
“I actually wished a possibility to come back out and play. That is my favourite court docket on the planet and it imply a lot to me to be again right here. I need to say a extremely huge thanks to my group. It hasn’t at all times been straightforward however they’ve been by my aspect thanks guys.”
Embed from Getty Photos
Six years in the past, Osaka schooled a 15-year-old Gauff 6-3, 6-0 within the 2019 US Open third spherical.
In at the moment’s rematch of US Open champions, a pointy Osaka shredded a sloppy Gauff.
The Twenty third-seeded Osaka served solely 42 %, however dropped simply six factors on serve and didn’t face a break level. Osaka gained 15 of 16 first-serve factors and punished Gauff’s wayward forehand wing in a 64-minute thrashing.
“It’s positively actually particular,” Osaka mentioned. “Actually, I look as much as her rather a lot. I feel the best way she conducts herself is basically particular.
“To be such a tremendous position mannequin at such a younger age is a present and a expertise she has and I’ve all of the respect on the planet for her.”
The subtext to this story is each Grand Slam champions made main teaching adjustments final month. Osaka parted with Patrick Mouratoglou and employed ex-Iga Swiatek coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who arrived in Montreal and guided the Japanese celebrity to the Canadian Open closing.
Throughout the web, Gauff was attempting to implement the stroke method adjustments new coach Gavin MacMillan, whom she employed 4 days earlier than the UOpen started, has been making to her serve and western-grip forehand.
In the present day, Osaka was relaxed and clear, whereas Gauff regarded tight and confused. Although Gauff served 66 % and dedicated 5 double faults, the remainder of her recreation disintegrated within the face of Osaka’s firepower.
Time after time, Gauff flat-lined pictures into the web and by the tip of this fourth-rounder even her vaunted backhand, arguably the perfect within the recreation, was expiring in internet.
Reigning Roland Garros champion Gauff gained the toss, elected to serve and promptly paid the worth for that call.
A jittery Gauff couldn’t discover the vary on her forehand, flattening that stroke into internet to present Osaka the opening break.
Commanding the crosscourt forehand exchanges, Osaka hit cleaner and with extra conviction, repeatedly draining forehand errors from the American.
Ballooning her third double fault past the service line, Gauff dropped serve to finish a sloppy first set from her finish in 31 minutes.
A pointy Osaka opened and closed the set with breaks. In between, she outclassed Gauff tormenting the 2023 champion’s weaker forehand wing.
Osaka gained 20 of 24 serve factors within the opener, together with stamping two love holds.
Throughout her run to the Montreal closing final month, Osaka mentioned her greatest recreation enchancment was her motion popping out of the corners of the court docket.
The four-time main champion confirmed that at the moment when Gauff tried to stretch her in toe-to-toe rallies. Putting fantastically on the run, Osaka elicited a netted reply capping her third love maintain for 2-1 with a loud “Come on!”
Six video games into the set, the wheels got here off Gauff’s recreation fully. A forehand miscue and double fault put Gauff in a double-break level bind.
Then a skittish Gauff netted her two-hander gifting Osaka the break and a 4-2 lead.
From 2-all, Osaka tore by way of 12 of 15 factors extending to 5-2.
Arthur Ashe Stadium followers tried to awaken Gauff, who constructed a 40-15 lead within the eighth recreation.
In a dismal finish, Gauff slapped three pictures in a row into internet ending a one-sided match in 64 minutes.
Osaka was ranked No. 88 at the moment final 12 months and if she goes on to seize a 3rd US Open crown on Saturday, she is going to look again to at least one second in Montreal that remodeled her season.
The 2023 Montreal finalist Liudmila Samsonova held double match level at 6-4, 5-4, 40-15 when Osaka dug down and denied two match factors sparking her stirring 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 comeback conquest of Thirteenth-seeded Samsonova in spherical two of Montreal final month,
Saving these match factors, Osaka began placing productive factors collectively moderately than resorting to attempt to finish factors prematurely with one huge strike.
Pressure to confront struggle or flight in at that match, Osaka selected each choices. She fought again and has been hovering since.
“I had performed a match in Monreal the place I needed to save two match factors ever since then I began considering something’s attainable,” Osaka mentioned at the moment. “You simply should strive your finest and have a smile in your face.”
The 27-year-old Osaka will attempt to hold this pleasure experience rolling as she is going to face both Eleventh-seeded Karolina Muchova or Twenty seventh-seeded Marta Kostyuk for a semifinal spot.
