Naomi Osaka Advances in the US Open with a New Boost
The tennis player Naomi Osaka has reached the third round of the US Open for the first time since 2021, the year she won her second championship at Flushing Meadows. Currently, Osaka is showing a remarkable performance, guided by a new coach.
However, the athlete prefers not to speculate on her chances of advancing in the tournament. “Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t worry about knowing anymore. I leave it up in the air,” commented Osaka, seeded number 23, after defeating Hailey Baptiste with a score of 6-3, 6-1 in just 70 minutes during the second round.
Osaka added: “For me, I realize that I have done everything I can. I have trained very hard. I have practiced very hard. If it happens, it happens.”Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka needed just 70 minutes to defeat American Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows.All of Osaka’s Grand Slam titles have been won on hard courts: two at the US Open and two at the Australian Open. Since her victory in New York in 2020, her tournament participations have ended in the third round (2021), the first round (2022), and the second round (2024).
The surface favors powerful serves and aggressive play, characteristics for which Osaka is known. This was evident against Baptiste, although she also demonstrated a notable ability to vary the speed and effects of her strokes.
Another highlight of Osaka’s game this week has been her returns, which have put her opponents on the defensive, winning 11 of the 18 return games she has played.
After her exit in the third round of Wimbledon last month, Osaka split with her coach Patrick Mouratoglou and began working with Tomasz Wiktorowski, who previously was part of Iga Swiatek’s team.
Osaka mentioned that a key aspect is that Wiktorowski has encouraged her to focus more on the placement of her shots “and not necessarily on going for winners most of the time”.
It seems they are making rapid progress, and Osaka commented that her impression of him changed quickly.
“Honestly, I didn’t know him, I thought he was very intimidating, because he’s very tall and didn’t smile,” she said. “Now that we’re working together, I see that he smiles often. He has a very friendly smile, and he’s very nice. That’s my little fun fact about Tomasz.”
