Japan’s Naomi Osaka eliminated Czech Karolina Muchova from the US Open and returned, five years later, to the semifinals, where she will face American Amanda Anisimova.
Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam winner and current world number 24, defeated Muchova (world number 13) 6-4, 7-6(3) in one hour and 49 minutes. It will be his first Grand Slam semifinal since Australia in 2021.
Naomi Osaka: “I’m surprised I’m not crying. I’m happy to be healthy”
“This means a lot. I’m surprised I’m not crying. There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes that you haven’t seen, but I’m very grateful to my team and happy to be healthy,” Osaka said on court after sealing her qualification.
Osaka has been struggling with her mental health issues for several years, which became public during the 2021 French Open.
I have often thought that people are inconsiderate of our mental health. It’s like kicking a person when they’re down, and I don’t understand the reasons behind it
“I am not going to do any press conferences during Roland Garros. I have often thought that people have no regard for our mental health. I have seen many videos of athletes breaking down in a press room after losing a match, something that has also happened to me. That’s like finishing off a person who has fallen down, and I don’t understand the reasons behind it,” said the Japanese tennis player at the time.
I have suffered long bouts of depression since the 2018 US Open and it has been very difficult for me to deal with that. I have huge waves of anxiety before speaking to the media
Osaka explained in 2021 that “I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the 2018 US Open and it has been very difficult for me to deal with that. Anyone who knows me knows that I am introverted, and anyone who sees me at tournaments will have noticed that I often wear headphones, as that helps calm my social anxiety […] I have great waves of anxiety before speaking to the media.”
Naomi Osaka recovers the game that took her to the top
Osaka and Muchova faced each other at last year’s US Open, with the Czech winning in the second round. In the last 12 months, the Japanese player has returned to the elite of world tennis, recovering the form that took her to the top.
Today, both Osaka and Muchova dug in on their serve. The Japanese won 75% of first serve points to the Czech’s 73%.
It was an incredibly difficult match. Karolina Muchova is one of the best players in the world and every time I play against her it is very demanding
After a fierce defense of the serve, with 5-4 and returning, Osaka went 15-40 with three break points and set. After an ace by Muchova to save the first one, the Japanese player took the set with the second one.
Muchova, who was hampered by physical discomfort for much of the match, received medical assistance between the first and second sets, returning to the court with a bandage on her left thigh.
With the need to win the set, Muchova broke Osaka’s serve twice in the second set, but the Japanese recovered both breaks to force the tie-break.
Osaka played her best tennis, moving Muchova from side to side on the court and went 6-2 up with four match points. She only needed two.
With this victory, the Japanese player is assured of climbing at least to 14th place in the WTA rankings when the tournament ends, her first time in the top 20 since 2022.
“It was an incredibly difficult match. She’s one of the best players in the world and every time I play against her it’s very demanding. Last year she beat me here, and I was wearing one of my best outfits, so I really got very angry,” said Osaka.
Muchova was the third Czech player in the quarter-finals in the United States, along with Barbora Krejcikova and Marketa Vondrousova.
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