Naomi Osaka comfortably dispatched Tunisian star, Ons Jabeur, to book a place in the fourth round at Australian Open 2021.

Osaka has won the tournament before and is once again expected to pose a serious challenge this year. Furthermore, the 23-year-old is greatly anticipating her fourth-round clash against Garbine Muguruza.

Muguruza and Osaka have never played against each other on the WTA circuit despite years of competing together. Osaka was stunned by Coco Gauff in the third round at Melbourne last year, while it was a heartbreak for Muguruza in the final. 

The 2021 edition of the Happy Slam is moving at a tremendous pace and the Osaka-Muguruza match is just one of the mouth-watering clashes in the fourth round. Osaka even commented on her fourth-round opponent and had massive words of praise. 

Naomi Osaka reveals admiration for Garbine Muguruza ahead of their match 

Osaka will look to mark her name in the last eight by battling past Muguruza in their upcoming fixture. However, the two-time US Open champion has observed how good the Spaniard is when she is competing at Grand Slams. 

“I’m excited to play her because when I was younger I watched her win Roland Garros and Wimbledon and I thought it was really cool to see how professional she was on court,” Osaka said. 

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“It’s an honor for me because it’s somewhat like I’m playing a bigger sister figure,” she further added. 

Naomi Osaka has been impressive so far, having dropped just five games in three matches. She had very little trouble defeating Ons Jabeur, and fans will be expecting the 23-year-old to deliver one such performance against Muguruza as well. 

Osaka and Muguruza have never played each other, so their fourth-round clash will be an interesting one indeed! The latter didn’t enjoy her 2020 season and failed to win a title, whereas Osaka came up big at US Open 2020. 

Naomi Osaka got off to a slow start and admitted to being “nervous” in her match against Jabeur, but one should hope that wouldn’t affect her performance if the same happens against Muguruza. Who are you backing to win this match? Let us know in the comments! 

WATCH: Iga Swiatek Crashes in Naomi Osaka’s Press Conference at Australian Open 2021