Naomi Osaka eliminated the Gound of Coco 6-3, 6-2 in the US Open with a much safer and more constant tennis brand on Monday to reach its first quarter of Grand Slam in more than 4 1/2 years.
The Osaka planted No. 23 was better in the entire number 3, whose repeated mistakes really made the difference in the Arthur Ashe stadium.
“He was super locked, to be honest. He was really locked up,” said Oska, a 27 -year -old girl who was born in Japan and moved to the United States with her family at 3 years. “I felt that everyone wanted to see a really great game, and I hope that was what you got.”
On his side, he certainly was. Osaka showed the behavior, and, more importantly, the great dumps of service and booming, which have taken it to four important championships, all on hard courts. That includes titles in the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and in the Australia Open in 2019 and 2021.
It was at the France Open later in 2021 that Osaka helped cause a global conversation about mental health by revealing that he felt anxiety and depression. Then he took a series of breaks from the tour.
That most recent trophy in Melbourne Park was the last time that Osaka had even reached the fourth round at any Slam event until this match against Gound, a 21 -year -old Florida’s owner owner of two important trophies. The first arrived at Flushing Meadows in 2023 and the second in the France Open this June.
For Osaka, this marks a real return to his best game since he returned to the tour after a maternity leave of 17 months. His son, Shai, was born in July 2023.
“I am a bit sensitive and I don’t want to cry, but honestly, I had a lot of fun here,” said Osaka, who first played at the US Open 2019, also in Ashe, and I also won that.
“I was in the stands as two months after giving birth to my daughter, seeing Coco. I really wanted the opportunity to come here and play,” Osaka told the crowd. “This is my favorite court of the world, and it means a lot to me back here.”
Gound came out nervous at the beginning. His service was fine; Other blows were the problem. It ended with 33 united errors, much more than the 12 of Osaka.
Trying to rework his service during this tournament with the help of the Biomechanics expert Gavin Macmillan, Gound broke from the beginning and dropped 2-0 after only five minutes, going down eight of the nine initial points while making five non-forced mistakes.
Whether because it was what the premature strategy dictated or for how the beginning was developed, the base increased the speed in its second service game. The results were impeccable. He reached the first four served, each one reaches no more than 110 mph, with a maximum of 115 mph, and in Love with a pair of Aces and a couple of winners of the service.
Even so, this is where the key difference was: Osaka used his big derloque, his best blow, to go after Gound’s right lever, his worst stroke, and worked wonderfully. At the end of the first set, Gound had made 16 non -forced mistakes and Osaka only five.
Osaka slapped his left thigh between points and repeatedly told herself: “Come on! Come on!”
That positive body language was a great contrast to that of donation. He would repeatedly put his palms up or gesture towards his team in the stands, wearing confused or annoying.
