The primary time Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff met on the court docket was on the 2019 US Open. Osaka was the No. 1 seed after successful the match the yr earlier than over Serena Williams and Gauff was only a 15-year-old wildcard breaking onto the scene. Osaka scorched her teenage foe, 6-3, 6-0, within the third spherical, however the two have stayed interconnected within the time since. Now, six years later, the tables have turned as Gauff is the No. 3 seed seeking to make one other run on the US Open title whereas Osaka is making an attempt to succeed in a quarterfinal at a serious for the primary time since 2021.
Gauff sits squarely behind Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek on this planet rankings. Swiatek holds six main titles to Sabalenka’s three and Gauff’s two. Osaka, who owns 4 Grand Slams, is at present sits because the No. 24 on this planet and has considerably diminished as an elite participant regardless of constructing herself again up.
Osaka punched her ticket to the fourth spherical with a formidable displaying towards No. 15 Daria Kasatkina on Saturday. Osaka was sturdy in her serve towards Kasatkina, with the win marking the primary time Osaka superior to the second week of a Grand Slam match because the 2021 Australian Open. Osaka’s run additionally strikes her deeper into the US Open than she has been since 2020 when she received the entire thing.
After defeating Kasatkina, Osaka mentioned she views Gauff like a “little sister” and that enjoying in New York “looks like house.” Osaka was born in Japan however was raised in the USA, together with a stint of time on Lengthy Island. Nonetheless, she is aware of the gang is unlikely to be behind her on Saturday.
“Can any individual come to the match and cheer for me?” Osaka mentioned. “It is kinda powerful enjoying an American right here, however I hope you guys type of adopted me as properly.”
After successful the French Open, Gauff had a disastrous Wimbledon expertise, shedding to Dayana Yastremska within the opening spherical. She break up with coach Matthew Daly simply previous to the beginning of the US Open, selecting to work along with her longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel and added biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan to her group to deal with lingering points, together with an inconsistent serve, in her sport.
Early returns on that call had been uneven, with a rocky three-set win over Ajla Tomljanovic, adopted by a irritating straight-sets win over Donna Vekic that noticed Gauff struggle by tears as she struggled to search out consistency along with her serve.
The third spherical noticed Gauff discover her footing, blazing previous Magdalena Frech in pretty brief order. Now, she will be able to look forward to assembly Osaka in a flashback match.
“It might be a cool type of déjà vu, however hopefully with a unique outcome,” Gauff mentioned of going through Osaka. “I keep in mind it was a tricky second as a result of it was such a hyped-up match. Trying again, I put method an excessive amount of strain on myself, pondering I had an opportunity to do one thing. I in all probability did, however I felt extra expectation than perception.”
Gauff vs. Osaka head-to-head report, prediction
Gauff is -225 to win the match towards Osaka, based on DraftKings. When she is on her sport, Gauff is each bit the participant who deserves a No. 3 world rating. The world noticed how good she might be as she ran by the French Open, along with her 2023 US Open title.
Gauff is 3-2 towards Osaka in her profession.
|
2019 US Open (spherical of 32) |
No. 1 Osaka def. Gauff (6-3, 6-0) |
|
2020 Australian Open |
Gauff def. No. 3 Osaka (6-3, 6-4) |
|
2021 Cincinnati Open |
No. 2 Osaka def. Gauff (4-6, 6-3, 6-4) |
|
2022 San Jose |
No. 6 Gauff def. Osaka (6-4, 6-4) |
|
2024 Bejing |
No. 4 Gauff def. Osaka (3-6, 6-4, retirement) |
If Gauff has totally settled down after her emotional and uneven first two rounds, there is not any motive to imagine that she is going to lose to Osaka once they sq. off on Monday, Sept. 1.
Osaka has confronted loads of struggles lately and Gauff is the higher general participant at this cut-off date. Barring a Gauff meltdown — which looks like a legitimate risk — there is not any motive to select towards the No. 3 seed to march onward. Choose: Coco Gauff wins in two units
