Naomi Osaka reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in four years.
Naomi Osaka wins the showdown on Ashe! pic.twitter.com/XRkj8oKWKs
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2025
She defeated Coco Gauff in straight sets in a shocking 1 hour and 4 minutes. Osaka played her best match since returning to the WTA Tour from maternity leave in 2024.
Gauff’s game was off, including the serve, potentially pointing to the fact that the stress of changing her serve right before a Grand Slam was a big ask.
Osaka looked mentally and physically great, like vintage Naomi, moving well on the court, smiling, and hitting her shots.
What Naomi Osaka Said
She acknowledged that the US Open is her favorite place to play.
Osaka d. Samsonova 4-6 7-6(6) 6-3 in Montreal
Incredible.
3 match points saved.
Liudmila served for the match.
Naomi became a totally different player & turned this match on its head.
Never doubt a 4-time Grand Slam Champion.
🇯🇵❤️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 30, 2025
Osaka said that her game has turned around ever since saving match points against Liudmila Samsonova at the Canadian Open.
Naomi Osaka after beating Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open
“I’m a little sensitive and I don’t want to cry but I had so much fun out here. I was in the stands 2 months after I gave birth to my daughter watching Coco.. I really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play. This is… pic.twitter.com/sowO9pS239
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 1, 2025
She began to believe anything was possible.
Osaka appreciated the fan support thanked her team for being with her for the long haul0, full of ups and downs.
Osaka, like Gauff, made a coaching change this year. She parted ways with Patrick Mourtaglou and joined forces with Iga Swiatek’s former coach Tomasz Wiktorowksi.
Can Naomi Osaka Win The US Open?
Her track record is 4-0 when she gets into the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.
She will face the winner of the Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk match in the quarterfinals.
Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, all won on the hardcourts of New York and Melbourne.
She is in Iga Swiatek’s side of the draw. Osaka came very close to defeating Swiatek, on her least favorite surface, at the 2024 French Open.
However, both Swiatek and Osaka are different players now, and their journeys in the past year have some parallels.
They have swapped coaches and started playing great tennis this summer.
Swiatek is coached by Osaka’s former coach, Wim Fisette.
