NEW YORK – Naomi Osaka delivered a statement win at the US Open by thrashing home favourite Coco Gauff in the last 16 as Iga Swiatek rolled into the quarter-finals.
The Japanese star powered past third seed Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in a highly-anticipated but lopsided fourth-round showdown of former US Open champions on the Labor Day holiday in New York.
Osaka broke in the very first game in front of an expectant Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd and was untouchable on serve in a ruthless display against a misfiring Gauff, who hit 33 unforced errors.
“This is my favourite court in the world and it means so much to me to be back today,” said Osaka, who looks primed for a tilt at a fifth Grand Slam.
“This is kind of uncharted territory at this point of my career,” added Osaka according to AFP. I’m just enjoying it. I’m having fun.”
The 27-year-old, a two-time US Open champion, is enjoying her deepest run at a major since winning her second Australian Open title in 2021.
It has been a painstaking climb back towards the top of the game for Osaka, who returned to tennis last year following the birth of her daughter in 2023.
“I was in the stands two months after I gave birth watching Coco and I just really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play,” said Osaka, who also beat a 15-year-old Gauff at the US Open in their first meeting in 2019.
Gauff conceded the mental toll of a challenging first week and the efforts to remodel her faltering serve had weighed heavily on her.
“I think emotionally how much this week was, I think I just stepped in, and I maybe was a little bit empty,” she said.
Osaka plays Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Muchova beat Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-7 (0/7), 6-3 and is seeking a third straight semifinal at Flushing Meadows.
Swiatek brushed off Russian 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-1 in barely an hour to extend her Grand Slam winning streak to 11 matches as she targets a second US Open crown.
“I felt like in the beginning she played fast but later on I felt in my bubble, in the zone,” said Swiatek. “I’m happy with the quality and my serve.”
Swiatek has reached the last eight or better at all four majors in a season for the first time and is chasing her seventh Grand Slam.
Men’s eighth seed Alex de Minaur sealed a quick passage to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 win over Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi.
De Minaur put the world number 435 to the sword with eight breaks as he swept into a sixth Grand Slam quarter-final. He has never made it past the last eight though.
“Ultimately this is where I want to be – I want to be playing for big titles, I want to be in contention,” said De Minaur, into his third US Open quarter-final.
He advances to play Felix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets as the Canadian 25th seed reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal in three years.
Auger-Aliassime won 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 for just his second victory over the Russian in nine attempts.
The 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime’s best run at a Grand Slam came when he advanced to the semifinals of the US Open in 2021.
“It feels even better than the first time,” Auger-Aliassime said of returning to the last eight in New York.
“I think the first time at 21 I was kind of on my way up. To have a few setbacks, injuries, struggles with confidence… to come back for a second time to the quarterfinals here, it feels much better.”
Italian 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti demolished unseeded Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 to reach his first US Open quarter-final.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic can set up a heavyweight clash at the US Open, while Aryna Sabalenka aims to take another stride towards defending her title.
Spanish second seed Alcaraz is the only man yet to concede a set at the tournament as he goes in search of a second US Open title and sixth Grand Slam.
The 22-year-old takes on Czech 20th seed Jiri Lehecka, who is in the quarter-finals of a major for only the second time.
“Against a player like Carlos you need to bring your best,” said Lehecka. “He’s one of the two biggest challenges right now in tennis.”
Lehecka defeated Alcaraz in Doha in their only meeting on hard courts, with the Spaniard getting the better of the Czech in another three-set tussle at Queen’s in June.
The winner of that match will face either 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic or Taylor Fritz, last year’s US Open runner-up and only American man left in the draw.
History undoubtedly favours Djokovic as the Serbian star has won all 10 past meetings, but he will be on his guard against Fritz.
“Taylor definitely is one of the guys that no doubt has a game, has a potential to be a Grand Slam winner,” said Djokovic.
“He was playing finals here last year, so he was one match away, so there is no reason not to believe that he can make it. Hopefully not this year, but any other year is fine.”
Djokovic is coming off his best performance of the fortnight against Jan-Lennard Struff but has shown signs wear and tear – an issue which has plagued the 38-year-old at Grand Slams of late.
