Naomi Osaka has often kept her life private. However, after her quarterfinal win on Sunday, she surprised everyone by dropping a casual hint about her boyfriend at the ongoing Citi DC Open. When asked about her close connections in Washington, the former World No.1 wore a coy smile as she shared a key detail about her partner.

“I think, obviously, I don’t know if I’m supposed to say partner or my boyfriend,” said Osaka in her post-match interview on Tennis Channel. “I don’t know, but his family’s from here. He grew up here a little bit. Where in the DMV did he grow up? Wait, I’m failing the test. Wait. Okay, no, no. He told me multiple times. Virginia, Maryland, or the District? No, for sure…In the district, in DC? Yeah, for sure that.”

The news of Osaka having a boyfriend is out of the blue, as the former World No.1 has not made any public announcements of the sort in recent times. The four-time Major champion was in a long-term relationship with musician Cordae, which ended in 2023. There was no animosity during the split, and the two share a bond after their relationship as well, due to their daughter, Shai.

Even though she had not hinted about a potential boyfriend, Osaka has her own popularity in the States. She is from Japan by birth, but her upbringing and tennis education were largely in America, with the former World No.1 also having a house in California. To top that all off, she is a two-time US Open champion, which makes her a crowd favorite on any American court.

On the court, Osaka had to find her way through a tricky three-set match against Elisabette Cocciaretto in the quarterfinals. The Japanese player’s serve, which had looked so efficient in recent outings, seemed a bit shaky in the match, as she got broken four times. However, even after losing the first set, Osaka got her rhythm back, getting a break of serve herself in both the second and third sets, which gave her a lead that was enough to close out the match.

Osaka is quite popular with American crowds, but her semifinal opponent in DC has her own crowd that follows her wherever she plays.

Naomi Osaka to Face Alexandra Eala in the Semifinal

Osaka is all set to face in-form Alexandra Eala in the semifinal of the Citi DC Open. The Filipino player is coming on the back of a massive grass-court season, where her highlight win came against Iga Swiatek on Center Court at SW19. However, it seems that Eala has managed to hold on to that form on the hard courts as well, as she has beaten the likes of Zheng Qinwen, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, and Elina Svitolina to reach the semifinal.

Osaka, on the other hand, got a win via retirement against Ashlyn Krueger in her second round after she got a first-round bye, after which she had her win over Cocciaretto. The key point in the upcoming clash will be the role of the crowd, as Eala has enjoyed almost home-court advantage with a large part of the Filipino population in DC coming in numbers to support their player. Osaka is a popular player, but maybe against Eala, she might meet her match in that regard.

Both players have bigger stakes to play for, as a title in Washington will be massive for Eala in the rankings, potentially breaking into the Top 20. On the other hand, for Osaka, a title in Washington will break a five-year title drought on the Tour, with the former World No.1 last lifting a trophy in Melbourne back in 2021.