All eyes will be on Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff when the two tennis stars face off in the U.S. Open round of 16 on Monday afternoon.
Both Osaka and Gauff have won the title in Flushing Meadows before—Osaka in 2018 and '20, and Gauff in '23—and memorably shared an emotional postgame moment in their sole U.S. Open meeting back in '19. Osaka, who was the reigning champ at the time, defeated Gauff, who was just 15 years old and making her tournament debut, in straight sets in the third round (6-3, 6-0).
Afterward, Osaka was seen consoling a teary-eyed Gauff and even offered to do the on-court interview next to her.
Check out that sweet interaction below:
Naomi Osaka beat Coco Gauff 6-3 6-0 at the 2019 US Open, back when Coco was 15 and making her Ashe debut.
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) August 30, 2025
Coco was left in tears, and Naomi told her she did amazing, offering her to do the on-court interview alongside her.
Six years on, they meet again ❤️pic.twitter.com/UzaOXpcHFp
Fast forward six years later, and a quarterfinal berth is the on the line for the two fan-favorite tennis stars.
Gauff is arguably in better form this year, having clinched her maiden French Open title in June, but she's been going through a rocky coaching transition as she looks to improve her serve. The American holds the edge in their head-to-head history: Gauff has not only won three of her five career matches against Osaka, but Osaka's two wins came when Gauff was just a teenager (15 at the U.S. Open and 17 at the 2021 Cincinnati Open).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Naomi Osaka’s Sweet U.S. Open Moment With Coco Gauff Resurfaces Ahead of Rematch.
