It was a rematch six years in the making.
Facing each other at the U.S. Open for the first time since their instant-classic match there in 2019, No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 23 Naomi Osaka met again at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday afternoon.
And once again, Osaka came out on top.
Osaka pulled off an upset win, 6-3, 6-2, in only 64 minutes to advance to the U.S. Open quarterfinal for the first time since 2020.
The 27-year-old Osaka controlled the match from start to finish, taking advantage as Gauff committed 33 unforced errors and struggled to land shots with her forehand.
Osaka got off to a fast start, breaking Gauff’s serve in the first game and winning the second game, too.
While serving in the first set, Osaka claimed 16 of 18 points and won all four games. She ended the set by breaking Gauff again in the ninth game.
Gauff is using a new serve in an attempt to cut down on her double faults, but her bigger issue Monday was her forehand. Eleven of Gauff’s 16 unforced errors in the opening set came on her forehand, and Osaka repeatedly delivered shots that tested that deficiency.
The duo traded the first five games of the second set, but Osaka broke Gauff’s serve again in the sixth, giving her a 4-2 lead and setting her up for victory.
As the second set wore on, Gauff’s backhand began to betray her as well.
In the final game, Gauff led 40-15 before dropping the final four points as Osaka broke her serve once again.
Osaka smiled throughout Monday’s match, while Gauff was visibly frustrated, at one point hitting her racket to the court. She made a quick exit from the court after losing the second set.
The win gives Osaka her fifth trip to a major quarterfinal, and her first since 2021. In each of the previous four instances – twice at the U.S. Open and twice at the Australian Open – Osaka went on to win the tournament.
Monday’s match was the first of this year’s tournament to feature two former U.S. Open champions.
The rematch renewed memories of Osaka’s 2019 win over Gauff, who was only 15 at the time.
Osaka was the world No. 1 and the tournament’s defending champion at the time, and her straight-sets victory over Gauff in that year’s third round moved the latter to tears.
But instead of moving forward with her customary on-court interview, Osaka went to console Gauff and encouraged her to address the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. The pair then gave a joint interview both with tears in their eyes – in an uncommon scene for an event steeped in tradition.
“I kind of also see her as a little sister,” Osaka said ahead of Monday’s match, “so it’s really cool to be playing her here again.”
Gauff won the 2023 Open for her first Grand Slam title, then lost in the fourth round of last year’s tournament.
Osaka is a two-time U.S. Open champion, having won the 2019 and 2020 tournaments, but she had not advanced past the third round since. She did not compete in the 2023 tournament because she was on maternity leave, and then was eliminated in the second round last year.
“Just to be at this point of my life and to be playing her again, for me, feels kind of special,” Osaka said.
