Naomi Osaka beats Coco Gauff to reach US Open quarterfinals - ESPN

NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka eliminated Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in 64 minutes at the US Open on Monday to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in more than 4½ years.

Osaka advances to her fifth major quarterfinal, and first since giving birth to daughter Shai in July 2023. Every time Osaka has made the quarterfinal round of a major, she has gone on to win it, her last Slam coming at the 2021 Australian Open.

The No. 23-seeded Osaka was better throughout than No. 3 Gauff, whose repeated mistakes really made the difference in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

«I was super locked in, to be honest. I was really locked in,» said Osaka, a 27-year-old who was born in Japan and moved to the U.S. with her family at age 3. «I felt like everyone wanted to watch a really great match, and I hope that's what you got.»

Osaka displayed the demeanor, big serve and booming strokes that have carried her to four major championships, all on hard courts. That includes titles at the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.

It was at the French Open later in 2021 that Osaka helped spark a global conversation about mental health by revealing she felt anxiety and depression. She then took a series of breaks from the tour.

That most recent trophy at Melbourne Park was the last time Osaka had even made it as far as the fourth round at any Slam event until this match against Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida who owns two major trophies. The first came at Flushing Meadows in 2023 and the second at the French Open this June.

For Osaka, this marks a real return to her best play since she returned to the tour after a 17-month maternity leave.

«I'm a little sensitive and I don't want to cry, but honestly, I just had so much fun out here,» said