It was the match-up everyone was waiting to see. Four-time Major winner Naomi Osaka took on No. 3 seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the US Open. It was their sixth meeting, and their second since Osaka returned from a 16-month pregnancy break.
As they stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium – the biggest venue in tennis – on the afternoon of Labor Day, the tennis world waited to see which former champion would come out on top. But it was over in just an hour and four minutes, as Osaka stunned the 2023 champion 6-3 6-2.
Gauff has been struggling with her serve in recent weeks, and she gave away the first set on a double fault. The American never got a proper look at Osaka’s service games, and she ended the match with a staggering 33 unforced errors.
The No. 3 seed made a swift exit off the court, but Osaka made sure to pay tribute to her young rival – someone she says she “looks up to.”
Six years after she beat a 15-year-old Gauff in the third round here, Osaka said: “Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely really special. Honestly, I look up to her a lot.
“I think the way that she conducts herself – I hope that’s the right word, conduct! – I think it’s really special and I feel like to be such an amazing role model at such a young age is a gift and it’s a talent that she has and I have all the respect in the world for her.”
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