New York (AFP) – Naomi Osaka surged back to the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time in five years on Wednesday with a straight-sets defeat of Karolina Muchova. The Japanese 23rd seed held her nerve to defeat the Czech 11th seed 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) in just under two hours on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
Two-time US Open champion Osaka will now face eighth seed Amanda Anisimova in Thursday’s semi-finals, and will head into that showdown brimming with confidence after another polished performance. Osaka, who eliminated third seed Coco Gauff in the last 16, has beaten three higher-ranked opponents on her journey to the last four and has shown flashes of the class that earned her four Grand Slam singles titles before she paused her career in 2023 due to the birth of her daughter.
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Osaka, 27, said during her hiatus from tennis she had dreamed of returning to the elite stage. “I’m just really grateful to be here. Honestly I was sitting up there and watching and hoping I would have the opportunity to play on this court again. My dream is coming true.”
Osaka said her journey back to the elite level of Grand Slam tennis had given her a new perspective on tennis. “I learned I loved tennis way more than I thought I did, and I learned that I actually really love challenges,” she said. “It’s like a video game. You pick it up, and even if you lose a level, you kind of just restart and keep going until you eventually win. It’s a little tough at some times, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I appreciate the journey a lot more now. I think when I was younger, I kind of just kept thinking the next one, the next one, the next one.”
A tense first set swung in Osaka’s favour when Muchova yanked a wild forehand way wide of the tramlines to hand Osaka three set points at 0-40, which she duly took advantage of. The start of the second set was delayed as Muchova took a medical timeout and she returned with her left thigh heavily strapped.
There was no immediate sign of the injury bothering Muchova, though, and she opened with a break to go 1-0 up. Osaka shrugged off that setback to break back immediately, and once again the match followed the pattern of the first set with break opportunities at a premium. Muchova looked to have made the breakthrough when she broke for a 5-4 lead to leave her serving for the set. Yet Osaka responded by breaking the Czech to love, ultimately leading to a tie-break which she dominated to seal victory.
© 2024 AFP
