On most courts, Naomi Osaka is the fan favorite. But the past few years, since her return to tennis after having a kid, she’s played on smaller courts. At the US Open, she had been assigned to Louis Armstrong Stadium—the second biggest arena at the tournament, but nothing compared to the huge, thunderous platform of Arthur Ashe Stadium. For her fourth-round match, it was the strength and popularity of her opponent, Coco Gauff, the world’s highest ranked American, that set up the Open’s most anticipated clash so far on its biggest stage.
The first time they met was here in 2019. Gauff was a surprising 15-year-old qualifier making an impression on tennis audiences around the world by reaching the third round. Osaka was the returning U.S. Open champion, a front runner not just for the match but the entire two-week event. Osaka proved why, drubbing Gauff in the first set, then bageling her in the second, 6-0.
Six years later, the roles have been completely reversed. Since then, Gauff has been ascendent. Osaka took a break for parental leave for all of 2023 and has spent two years regaining the athleticism that won her four Grand Slams. This year’s US Open is the first time she’d been seeded—though barely, at 23rd—after coming back. So far, she’d made good over three matches, teeing up her best shot at making it into the second week of a major; since Osaka’s return, Gauff has constantly gone deep in tournaments and won US and French Open titles to show for it.
Outside of performance, Gauff has also risen in popularity. Tennis fans don’t have a short memory, but they are excited by new talent, especially if she’s an American. It also doesn’t hurt that Gauff, despite her young age, is both a charming and mature personality off the court. Osaka was once the tennis darling, though her endearing qualities come, perhaps, from a lack of maturity. Or at least, she is very honest, very earnest, very not what we expect from our professional athletes. She speaks often and openly about mental health; also constantly about video games and anime. Still, Osaka is quite self-aware of her standing. After upsetting 15th seed Daria Kasatkina in a tough three setter, she was asked how she felt going into the match against Gauff. She recognized that Gauff’s fandom had surpassed her own. “Can someone come to the match and cheer for me?” Osaka joked. She would go into the match as an underdog.
Sometimes you can measure excitement by the ticket price—for the Osaka-Gauff matchup, nosebleeds in Ashe started at $430 when I checked. Still, it was as packed as I’d ever seen it for a day match. Even down in the media seating, things were getting hairy. Often, the tennis press will prefer to watch matches from the media area, where it’s easier to use a computer. On match day, I watched several journalists argue over seats after some confusion about who had the privilege to sit where.
AloJapan.com