Unseeded Naomi Osaka rallies past Belinda Bencic to reach Miami final

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 semi-finals. She’s in a championship match for the first time since the 2021 Australian Open, and will meet No 2 Iga Swiatek on Saturday.

“Damn, I’m almost crying,” Osaka said.

Maybe not even almost. She hid her face in an orange towel a few times right after the match ended, 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 US Open final over Serena Williams. She was rattled during a loss at Indian Wells on 12 March following a derogatory shout from a spectator, withdrew from last year’s French Open to address her mental state and left last year’s US 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 women’s player in the world next week – won 6-2, 7-5 in the other women’s semi-final on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev came into the tournament as the No 2-ranked men’s player in the world. Hubert Hurkacz ensured he will stay there.

Hurkacz – the No 8 seed and defending Miami champion – wore down the top-seeded and cramp-riddled Medvedev 7-6 (7), 6-3 on Thursday in a