New York (AFP) – A smiling Naomi Osaka breezed past Coco Gauff to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open on Monday, saying a happier mindset is behind her best Grand Slam performance for four years. The Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion dominated American third seed Gauff on her way to a 6-3, 6-2 victory in a surprisingly lopsided battle of former champions. The victory sends Osaka into her first Grand Slam singles quarter-final since she reached the last eight of the 2021 Australian Open – a tournament she went on to win.
The 27-year-old, who in the past has been open about her battles with anxiety and depression, said she had set out to make this year’s US Open a happy experience. “What I want to take away from this tournament is just smiling and having fun,” Osaka said, adding that her mood improved when she plays higher-ranked opponents. “For me, honestly, I have the most fun when I play against the best players,” she said. “I love when they hit amazing shots or they hit aces, because you know, that’s how they won the tournaments that they won. I always see it as a challenge. I like challenges.”
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Osaka, who returned to tennis last year following the birth of her daughter in 2023, also credits the input of new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski for her success in New York. Wiktorowski began working with Osaka in July. “He seemed like such a tough guy to me, but actually when he smiles, he really is like a teddy bear,” Osaka said. “When we talk after matches, he’s not harsh at all. He’s always very proud and encouraging. I feel like it kind of creates a safe space for me to be able to express myself and my tennis.”
Osaka expressed herself on Monday with the sort of performance that suggests her latest US Open run may extend beyond the quarter-finals. She conceded just two points off her serve in the entire opening set, which she sealed when the struggling Gauff double-faulted on set point. The second set was a similar story, with Osaka giving up only four points on serve while pressuring Gauff relentlessly, moving the American around the court with a series of powerful, accurate groundstrokes. Osaka edged clear after breaking Gauff to go 4-2 up and then broke the American again to seal a quarter-final against 11th seed Karolina Muchova.
Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, was left reflecting on a disappointing tournament engulfed by problems with her faltering serve, which at one stage in her second-round match left her in tears. “It’s disappointing,” Gauff said of Monday’s display. “For sure it was not the level that I wanted to bring.” The 21-year-old insisted though that she could take encouragement from her performances in New York. “There’s a lot of positives to take from this tournament, and I’m trying to be positive in front of you guys,” she said. “I promise you that, you know, I don’t feel that way right now, but I am not going to let this crush me.”
© 2024 AFP
