Naomi Osaka is back on tennis’ biggest stage. The four-time Grand Slam champion powered past world No. 3 Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in just 64 minutes on Monday night to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals, her deepest run at a major in more than four-and-a-half years.
For Osaka, seeded No. 23 in New York, the victory marked her fifth career Grand Slam quarterfinal — and her first since becoming a mother to daughter Shai in July 2023. Remarkably, every time Osaka has advanced this far at a major, she’s gone on to win the title. Her last came at the 2021 Australian Open.
“It feels like everything is coming together again,” Osaka said on court. “I’ve worked really hard to be back here, and I’m enjoying it.”
From the opening game, Osaka displayed the powerful serve and baseline precision that once made her the most feared hard-court player in the world. She won 32 of her 38 service points, including 15 of 16 when landing her first serve, and never faced a break point. She also converted all four of her break opportunities against Gauff.
Osaka’s forehand was especially lethal. She targeted Gauff’s weaker forehand wing repeatedly, forcing errors that piled up quickly. By match’s end, Gauff had committed 33 unforced errors, 20 of them on forehands, compared to just 12 total for Osaka.
“Her serve was clicking, her shots were really clean, and she made me pay for every mistake,” Gauff admitted afterward. “But I am not going to let this crush me. I’ll learn from it.”
The 21-year-old Floridian arrived in New York as a two-time major champion — winning the U.S. Open in 2023 and Roland Garros this past June — but never looked fully comfortable throughout the tournament. Her serve, usually her biggest liability, held up well against Osaka, but her groundstrokes were erratic and inconsistent.
By the end of the first set, Gauff had already committed 16 unforced errors to Osaka’s five. Osaka closed the door with a break midway through the second set and never looked back.
Osaka’s win is another milestone in her comeback. After sparking a global conversation about mental health at the 2021 French Open, she took multiple breaks from the tour, eventually stepping away for 17 months during pregnancy. Monday’s performance — commanding, confident, and clinical — looked like vintage Osaka.
“It’s really special,” she said. “I feel like I’m rediscovering my game and also myself.”
Osaka now faces No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova in Wednesday’s quarterfinal. Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up and a two-time U.S. Open semifinalist, advanced by outlasting No. 27 Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-7 (0), 6-3. The Czech star has already made history this fortnight, becoming just the fourth woman in the Open era to win four straight three-set matches at Flushing Meadows.
The matchup carries extra intrigue: Muchova eliminated Osaka in the second round here last year.
With Osaka looking rejuvenated and Muchova proving her resilience once again, their clash promises to be one of the marquee showdowns of the tournament.
If history is any guide, Osaka’s return to the U.S. Open quarterfinals could be the beginning of something bigger — every time she’s reached this stage before, she’s walked away with the trophy.
