Say this about Naomi Osaka. She came to labor on Labor Day.
At around 10:30 a.m., she took Arthur Ashe court for an intense hitting session prior to her fourth-round match against Coco Goff. When it was finally game time, Osaka went right to work, picking apart her opponent, showing why, even as the 23rd seed, she is a threat to win this event for a third time, and winning perhaps the biggest match since she became a mother.
Osaka didn't so much win as she dominated Monday’s highly anticipated match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, prevailing 6–3, 6–2 in barely an hour in a match that somehow was less competitive than the lopsided scoreline would indicate.
This match served two roles. One was to showcase Osaka at pretty darn close to her peak, reminding fans why she remains a threat nearly five years since her last major (in fact, nearly five years since she even reached the second week of a major).
It also served as a reminder that for all her admirable qualities and all her triumphs, including a French Open title less than three months ago, Coco Gauff remains a work in progress.
Six years ago, these two players met on the same court. Gauff was only 15 years old, and the match was memorable mostly for how well Osaka handled an awkward occasion, beating a phenom 6–3, 6–0, and then inviting Gauff to stick around and conduct an interview, lessening the awkwardness of the blowout.
Six years later, they are at much different places in their career. Gauff, seeded third, has won two majors. Osaka, suddenly crowding her late twenties, is a mother who hasn't done a whole lot of winning lately.
But this match today had similar vibes featuring two players at very different levels. Osaka was composed and accurate and turned in, above all, a formidable serving performance, winning more than 90% of her first serves and at one point winning 22 of 25 points on serve.
Meanwhile, Gauff was chock full of errors, 33 of them, and struggled with her ground strokes in particular.
Unless you are on a retreat in Siberia, you are likely aware that Gauff fired one coach and hired a mechanics expert on the eve of the tournament. It was a bold, daring move, but underscored how little faith she has in her serve, in particular.
Sadly, it did not pay dividends this tournament as fundamental strokes are still clearly defective, and perhaps she will spend the rest of the year playing fewer tournaments and working more on the mechanics
It is remarkable that a player with such flaws has achieved the heights she has, period. She could retire tomorrow and would be in the Hall of Fame, period, but at age 21, she is now at a real crossroads. How willing is she to completely retool her game?
Osaka, on the other hand, seems to have finally gotten her groove back. Her ball striking has never been in doubt. It's other elements, including her match generalship, that have failed her in recent years.
Today, she was not just accurate, but poised, and despite her modest ranking must be considered a contender to win a third title in New York.
Four times in Osaka’s career, she has reached the quarterfinals of a major. She is a perfect 12–0 each time racing to the title. She is now in her fifth quarterfinal, and if she can sustain the level of play and level of poise she showed Monday, a fifth title is hardly out of the question.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Naomi Osaka’s U.S. Open Upset of Coco Gauff Could Reset Their Trajectories.
