Naomi Osaka showcased a dominant performance at the US Open, decisively defeating local favorite Coco Gauff in the round of 16 on Monday. Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek advanced to the quarterfinals.
The Japanese tennis star overcame third seed Gauff with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in a much-anticipated but one-sided fourth-round clash of past US Open champions on Labor Day in New York.
Osaka broke serve in the opening game, thrilling the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, and maintained strong service games against an error-prone Gauff, who made 33 unforced errors.
“This is my favorite court in the world, and being back here means so much to me,” said Osaka, who is in pursuit of her fifth Grand Slam title.
“This feels like uncharted territory at this stage of my career,” Osaka added. “I’m simply enjoying myself and having fun.”
The 27-year-old, a two-time US Open champion, is making her deepest run at a major since capturing her second Australian Open title in 2021.
Osaka’s return to the top of the game has been a gradual process after she resumed playing last year following the birth of her daughter in 2023.
“I was watching from the stands two months after giving birth, eager to play,” said Osaka, who first defeated a 15-year-old Gauff at the US Open in 2019.
Gauff admitted the mental strain of a tough opening week and efforts to improve her serve took a toll.
“Emotionally, this week was challenging, and today I felt a bit drained,” she said.
Osaka will face Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Muchova defeated Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-7 (0/7), 6-3 and aims for a third consecutive semifinal at Flushing Meadows.
Defending men’s champion Sinner rapidly dispatched Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in only 81 minutes, kicking off the evening session.
Bublik, one of the few to beat Sinner this season aside from Carlos Alcaraz, hadn’t dropped serve all tournament but was broken eight times by the world number one.
“He had a tough last match, didn’t serve well today, and I broke him early,” Sinner said. “I’m very pleased overall.”
Bublik smiled as he met Sinner at the net and remarked: “You’re so good, this is insane.”
Sinner aims to become the first man to retain the US Open title since Roger Federer’s run of five consecutive titles ended in 2008.
He progresses to face fellow Italian 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti, who overpowered Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 to reach his first US Open quarterfinal.
Swiatek ‘in the zone’
Swiatek easily defeated Russian 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1 in just over an hour, extending her Grand Slam win streak to 11 matches as she aims for a second US Open title.
“At first, she played fast, but soon I found my rhythm,” Swiatek said.
The Polish second seed will face Amanda Anisimova, repeating their Wimbledon final matchup where Swiatek won 6-0, 6-0. Anisimova defeated Brazilian 18th seed Beatriz Haddad 6-0, 6-3.
Men’s eighth seed Alex de Minaur advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 win over Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi.
De Minaur dominated, breaking serve eight times to reach his sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal, though he has yet to advance past the last eight.
The Australian will next face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who overcame Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal in three years.
Auger-Aliassime’s best Grand Slam performance was reaching the US Open semifinals in 2021.
“This feels even better than my first time,” Auger-Aliassime, 25, said of returning to the quarterfinals. “At 21, I was on the rise. After setbacks and struggles, coming back now feels much more rewarding.”
