Naomi Osaka dominated Coco Gauff in a highly anticipated U.S. Open showdown that turned into a statement, decided not just on the court but between the ears.<\/p>\n
After an emotionally fraught week, Gauff was running on empty. Meanwhile, Osaka was all smiles and self-assurance.<\/p>\n
And when it was over, Osaka had a 6-3, 6-2 Round of 16 rout, rejoining the sport\u2019s elite, while an emotionally drained Gauff broke down to her team.<\/p>\n
Naomi Osaka celebrates her win over Coco Gauff at US Open on Sept. 1, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main [thing] I want to take away from this tournament is just smiling and having fun,\u201d said Osaka, whose grin was brighter than her sparkly Labubu, Althea Glitterson. \u201cGoing into this match, I just wanted to be grateful.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s one of the best players in the world. For me, honestly, I have the most fun when I play against the best players. I love when they hit amazing shots or they hit aces because that\u2019s how they won the tournaments that they won. I always see it as a challenge. I like challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Osaka \u2014 resurgent and resplendent \u2014 getting here has been a challenge. This marks her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2021 and her first since giving birth.<\/p>\n
Naomi Osaka is into the quarterfinals of the US Open. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST<\/p>\n
She had climbed to the top of the sport, claiming four Grand Slam titles from 2018-21. But Osaka stepped away due to mental health issues, then took 2023 off to have her daughter, Shai, watching in the stands on maternity leave when Gauff won her first Slam title here in Flushing Meadows.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been playing this sport since I was 3. I tell people it\u2019s like breathing air to me. I wouldn\u2019t really know what to do [without tennis],\u201d Osaka said. \u201cI\u2019m really grateful to be here now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coco Gauff during her match against Naomi Osaka on Sept. 1, 2025. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Naomi Osaka during her fourth-round US Open match against Coco Gauff on Sept. 1, 2025. REUTERS<\/p>\n
Here \u2014 back among tennis\u2019 elite, contending for a Slam \u2014 is a place Osaka had openly questioned whether she\u2019d ever get back to as a mother. But her quarterfinal rout of Elina Svitolina en route to the Montreal title buoyed her confidence. And Monday erased all doubt.<\/p>\n
Osaka is back.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s rediscovering the joy in her game working with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.<\/p>\n
Coco Gauff during the fourth-round US Open match. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST<\/p>\n
\u201cHe seemed like such a tough guy, but when he smiles, he\u2019s like a teddy bear,\u201d Osaka said. \u201cHe\u2019s always very proud and encouraging. It creates a safe space for me to express myself and my tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Osaka lived in Valley Stream and Elmont, watching and attending the U.S. Open with dreams of playing here. On Monday, she played with joy clear in her Cheshire cat grin.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a kid that was watching on TV just hoping to play this tournament. I\u2019d come here and wish to play on one of the cool outdoor courts. And to be on the main stadium here, no matter what point of my career I\u2019m in, it\u2019s always an honor,\u201d Osaka said. \u201cJust to be playing a match [like that] is really fun. This is the moments that I play tennis for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Osaka has always had impressive power, but won points on 15 of 6 first serves without a single double-fault. She was 4-of-4 on break points.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Gauff \u2014 who has had an emotionally draining week \u2014 ran out of gas emotionally.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing. For sure, it was not the level I wanted to bring,\u201d Gauff said. \u201cEmotionally, how much this week was, [Monday], I just stepped in, and I maybe was a little bit empty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gauff\u2019s shaky serve actually was solid, but the young American committed 33 unforced errors, including three straight to drop her very first service game.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a mentally taxing week, firing coach Matt Daly on the eve of the U.S. Open to bring in serve specialist Gavin MacMillan. Gauff had been in tears in her second-round win, and the stress on her nerves finally caught up with her.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a lesson learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the match I was really disappointed, broke down to my team,\u201d said Gauff, 21. \u201cThen hearing their perspectives, it definitely is a lot of positive things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gauff is playing the long game, trying to get back to the top and win more Grand Slams. But for Osaka, that dream is very much alive, not off in the future but right now in Flushing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Naomi Osaka dominated Coco Gauff in a highly anticipated U.S. Open showdown that turned into a statement, decided…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":192934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2210,6115,62,1464,67,132,68,20886],"class_list":{"0":"post-192933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-coco-gauff","9":"tag-naomi-osaka","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tennis","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us","15":"tag-us-open-tennis"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115132225513600141","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}