Naomi Osaka rallies, tops Belinda Bencic to make Miami Open women's final

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Naomi Osaka's eyes welled with tears when her match ended, an all-too-familiar scene for her in recent years.

These were of the happy variety.

For the former world No. 1, that's major progress.

The unseeded Osaka defeated No. 22 Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday in the Miami Open semifinals. She's in a championship match for the first time since the 2021 Australian Open, and will meet No. 2 Iga Swiatek for the title on Saturday.

"Damn, I'm almost crying," Osaka said after her match.

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Naomi Osaka of Japan serves in her women's semifinal match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Thursday, March 31, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Maybe not even almost. She hid her face in an orange towel a few times following the final point, at least one tear clearly making its way down her right cheek. Osaka entered this tournament ranked No. 77 in the world, will leave Miami no worse than 36th and would be back in the top 30 if she wins the title.

It has been a long, trying and often emotional ride for Osaka since her win in the 2018 U.S. Open final over Serena Williams. She was rattled during a loss at Indian Wells on March 12 following a derogatory shout from a spectator, withdrew from last year’s French Open to address her mental state and left last year’s U.S. Open in tears.

But in South Florida, one of the places she considers home, it's been all support from the fans.

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you," Osaka told them in her on-court interview.

Swiatek — who will replace the now-retired Ashleigh Barty as the No. 1-ranked