The Round of 16 matches of the Gippsland trophy in Melbourne, Australia is underway. In action, Japanese World No.3 Naomi Osaka met Great Britain professional Katie Boulter. What looked like an easy win for the three-time Grand Slam champion on paper, turned out to be a thriller.

Previously, Katie had caused an upset for the American teenage sensation Coco Gauff to progress ahead. On the other side, Naomi Osaka had defeated France’s Alize Cornet to reach the Round of 16.

Their battle started unexpectedly as the 24-year-old British player did not give away anything. And Japan’s best continued to struggle throughout the first set.

Naomi Osaka loses first set to Katie Boulter, 3-6

Playing in the Margaret Court Arena, Osaka and Boulter showed great promise right from game one. However, in no time, the former World No.82 took the driving seat against the reigning US Open champion.

Boulter showed her ability with the tennis ball. Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Japanese couldn’t revert to her deep angles, which caused her to lose control of the first set.

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Following her victory against Gauff, the British professional was gearing herself up to cause an even bigger upset this week after having taken the first set 6-3.

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Osaka restores parity

As expected, Osaka upped her game exponentially and won four games in a row in the second set. Sheer power and discipline led her back on track as she took back control of the match from Katie. The champion that she is, Naomi was ready to take the game away from here.

But Boulter wanted to make a greater case for herself. She checked herself quickly and snatched back three games instantaneously. In a way, the player from Great Britain informed the Japanese star that winning will not be so easy by showing a lot of grit and fight.

Following that, the pair challenged one another on every point. Here, the experience of being a Grand Slam winner and a champion benefitted Osaka greatly. She won the second set 6-3 to restore parity in the match.

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The final set goes to Naomi, 6-1

At last, the 2019 Australian Open champion rose to her A-game in the decider set. Without much resistance, Osaka swiped the first three games of the decider. Her forehand started to find gaps, which made life so much easier for the Japanese star.

From then on, there was no looking back. Naomi won the match comfortably in the end and has reached the final eight of the tournament.

In the post-match interview, Osaka said, “She was playing really amazing… I thought to myself, ‘if I lose, it’s okay. I just need to give it my best effort.”

And that’s exactly what she did.

Taking this momentum further, she can even win the title. Let’s see how that turns out to be, but before that, take a look at how she sealed the deal.

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