Naomi Osaka Makes Emotional Confession After Ending 4-Year Old Drought At US Open

Yet again, Naomi Osaka gets the better of Coco Gauff at the US Open! Remember what happened in 2019? Six years ago, Osaka defeated the American by 6-3, 6-0 in the third round of the US Open. Following that match, Naomi Osaka won hearts with her beautiful gesture towards Coco Gauff. After a heartwarming embrace at the net, she invited tearful Gauff to speak to the crowd in a post-match interview. At that time, Osaka had also shared a few words with Gauff’s box, saying, “You guys raised an amazing player.” From a rising star, Gauff has now become a superstar in the tennis world.

Several years have passed since that match, and a lot of things have changed in Coco Gauff’s career as well. In fact, the American is now a two-time major champion. But sadly for Gauff, her poor record against Osaka at her Home Slam continues. Naomi Osaka yet again outclasses Coco Gauff, and this time it was 6-3, 6-2 in the R16. What did she say after this incredible win, though?

Osaka was found cherishing every bit of this moment after the match. She said, “I’m a little sensitive, and I don’t want to cry, but I had so much fun out here. I was in the stands 2 months after I gave birth to my daughter, watching Coco. I really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play. This is my favorite court in the world. It means so much to me to be back here. I wanna say a big thank you to my team. We’ve kinda been through a lot. It hasn’t always been easy. They’ve been by my side. Thank you, guys. Love you.” Naomi Osaka’s last Grand Slam QF before this year was at the AO in February 2021. Slowly getting back into her vintage form?

It took Osaka just 64 minutes to beat the 2023 US Open champion, and with this win, she has now advanced to her fifth major quarterfinal and first since giving birth to daughter Shai in July 2023. If we take a look at her record this season, Osaka has played 39 matches so far and won 27 of them. Although she made several deep runs this year, her only title triumph in 2025 came at the WTA 125K Saint-Malo, FR. Is it now time for her to deliver on the bigger stages yet again? Time will tell, but let’s check out what else she said in her post-match interview.

Naomi Osaka shares kind words for her opponent, Coco Gauff

In this epic duel, Naomi Osaka won 15 of 16 points on her first serve and four break chances. Furthermore, Osaka won 16 of the 24 rallies that went five shots or more. Meanwhile, we saw Coco Gauff struggling a bit with her forehand and service games. She hit three aces in this match but committed five double faults, whereas Osaka didn’t commit a single double fault in the entire match. The Japanese star is now seeking her third US Open title in 8 years.

We’ll have to wait a bit to see if she manages to find success yet again at this tournament, but so far, Osaka has been really impressive, and guess what? She claims that the turning point of her recent successes was when she came back from a set down and 5-3, saving two match points to beat Liudmila Samsonova in Montreal. “I played a match in Montreal where I had to save two match points. Ever since then, I started thinking that anything’s possible. You just have to try your best & have a smile on your face,” said Osaka.

Speaking about Coco Gauff, she added, “I look up to her. The way she conducts herself is really special. To be such an amazing role model at such a young age, it’s a gift. I have all the respect in the world for her.” 

Her incredible performance against the world number 3 has even drawn reactions from tennis legends. For example, Marion Bartoli said, “She is absolutely back… When you look at the performance today, it was incredible from the word go. She was so dominant from the back of the court. Really, making the whole play, we saw Coco not doing much with her forehand.” According to her, more than Gauff’s failure to deliver, it was about Osaka’s brilliance in this match.

Even Martina Navratilova claimed that Naomi Osaka “never looked nervous” against Coco Gauff. With this win, Osaka has now also become the second player in the Open Era to reach her first five Grand Slam QFs on hard courts, after Flavia Pennetta. Now, can resurgent Naomi Osaka stun the tennis world by clinching the title this year? Check out EssentiallySports’ minute-by-minute update of the US Open here.