NEW YORK, NY, USA - No.4 seed Naomi Osaka dropped just four games in a third-round masterclass against No.16 seed Dayana Yastremska to move into the quarterfinals at the Western & Southern Open. 

The two-time Grand Slam champion’s serve was firing during the 69 minutes Osaka spent on court, blasting eight aces against Yastremska and saving all five break points she faced en route to a 6-3, 6-1 victory. 

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The victory sends Osaka into her second quarterfinal of the year after starting the season with a run to the final four in Brisbane. Osaka recorded a third-round finish at the Australian Open, her last tournament before the tour’s five-month COVID-19 shutdown. 

2020 Cincinnati highlights: Osaka overpowers Yastremska in clash

 

Coming into New York for the Western & Southern Open, Osaka had to find her feet quickly against Karolina Muchova’s tenacious challenge in the second round. She claimed the victory after a hard-fought two and a half hours, 6-7(5),6-4,6-2, to book her first meeting against 20-year-old Yastremska. 

Yastremska opened her Cincy campaign with two solid three-set victories, including a tight victory over Venus Williams 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 in her opening match. The Ukrainian was eager to continue her steady rise up the rankings after starting the year with a run to the final in Adelaide, the perfect start after hiring coach Sascha Bajin - who previously coached Osaka to back-to-back Grand Slam titles - during the off-season. 

 But Yastremska couldn’t match Osaka’s firepower on Tuesday, despite creating two break opportunities early in the set. Osaka batted away the danger with her booming serve, and replied with a decisive break at 3-1 to take control of the set. The Japanese player kept her nose in front as she closed it out, 6-3 and started the second set with a 1-0 lead. 

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The No.16 seed applied the pressure to Osaka once again as she brought up three more break chances in the second game - but Osaka saved all three to stay in front. She reeled off the last four games in a row to close out the match and book her spot into the quarterfinals. 

Up next for Osaka in New York will be No.12 seed Anett Kontaveit, who edged past Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-3 earlier in the day to advance.

More to follow...