NEW YORK — They’ve hoisted the sterling silver trophy here three of the past seven times they’ve staged the US Open.
On Monday, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka will face off in New York for the first time since 2019, when a 21-year-old Osaka defeated 15-year-old Gauff in straight sets.
The No. 3-seeded Gauff was a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Magdalena Frech, while No. 23 Osaka defeated No. 15 Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.
Much has changed since their initial meeting.
Gauff is a two-time Grand Slam champion, and Osaka — a four-time major winner herself — is the mother of a two-year-old daughter.
The head-to-head record– Gauff has won three of five matches — is a little deceptive. That’s because Osaka’s two wins came when Gauff was 15 (at the US Open) and 17 (in Cincinnati). Gauff has won the past two matches, three years ago in San Jose in straight sets and last year in Beijing, when Osaka retired with a back injury after the two split sets.
“Can somebody come to the match and cheer for me?” Osaka asked the Louis Armstrong crowd. “I mean it’s kind of tough playing an American here, but I hope you’ve adopted me as well.”
Gauff has vivid memories of that US Open match against Osaka.
“I guess I put way too much pressure on myself thinking I maybe had a chance in that moment to actually do something, which I definitely did, but I think it was just I felt more expectation that I should than maybe belief,” Gauff said.
Here’s the case for each player:
Advantage, Gauff
She has a history of slow starts, and with all the hoopla surrounding her coaching change just ahead of the US Open, Gauff struggled early. It took her three sets to get past Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round and an emotional tiebreak before subduing Donna Vekic.
But Saturday’s victory was a relatively stress-free affair. Gauff reported afterward that, after all the pressure she put on herself, she had fun again playing tennis.
That’s why she’s through to her fourth consecutive fourth round here. And it’s why she can beat Osaka.
“It’s been like an emotional week, but I think I needed those tough moments to move forward,” Gauff said in her on-court interview. “Overall, I’m really happy how I played and to be through to the next round.”
In a way, Gauff is playing like the 15-year-old version of herself, when she beat Venus Williams and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. She’s taking a little bit off the service speed, creating more shape and margin on the forehand with topspin, and relying on quickness and defense.
And that patience worked beautifully against Frech. Tellingly, there were 25 extended rallies of nine shots or more — and Gauff won 18 of them.
Gauff will need to amp up her game against Osaka, but the basic strategy will be the same. Hang in against that power and wait for errors. Gauff moves better and saw her patience pay off against Frech.
After hitting 18 double faults and getting broken 10 times in her first two matches, Gauff had only four doubles against Frech — and was broken only once.
The case for Osaka
This is the kind of Grand Slam performance that Osaka envisioned upon her return from maternity leave.
In the seven majors since giving birth, she was eliminated in the first round twice, the second round three times and the third round twice.
This is Osaka’s first fourth-round appearance since the 2021 Australian Open — a tournament, it’s worth noting, she won.
Since hiring coach Tomasz Wiktorowski in Montreal, Osaka has been playing with greater confidence. She’s built gradually, winning two matches in Montreal, three in Cincinnati and now has the opportunity for a fourth at the US Open.
It starts with the serve. Osaka had nine aces against Kasatkina. Only World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (78) has more this Grand Slam season than Osaka’s 70.
But the biggest leap for Osaka has come in the return game. She forged nine break opportunities against Kasatkina and collected seven of them.
Moreover, she’s been lethal against second serves; she won 24 of 33 against Kasatkina. This could be huge against Gauff, who has been rolling in off-speed first and second serves in an effort to avoid double faults.
When she was in her prime, Osaka’s groundstrokes were unmatched. Through three matches there have been vintage flashes.
Take the last game against Kasatkina. After falling behind love-15, Osaka went:
Flick! Forehand winner.
Flick! Backhand winner.
Flick! Forehand winner.
Flick! Forehand winner.
She finished the match with 37 winners and a relatively modest 28 unforced errors.
AloJapan.com