Osaka Advances to Wimbledon Last 16 with Convincing Win
Fourteenth seed Naomi Osaka delivered a commanding performance on No 1 Court at Wimbledon, defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 in 66 minutes to reach the tournament's last 16 for the first time. Osaka, dressed in her customary flowing, flower-patterned robe, impressed the crowd with her powerful and precise baseline game.
“I’m really happy,” Osaka said during her on-court interview. “I’ve actually never won on this court, so I’m just really glad to have made a really good memory here. It was a really big honour for me to play, so thank you.”
The 14th seed has experienced the most successful grass-court season of her career, having reached her first final on grass at Bad Homburg before an ankle injury forced her to retire. Since arriving in London, she has maintained strong form, securing straight-sets victories over Elsa Jacquemot and others. Her next opponent will be either four-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka or former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, setting up a highly anticipated match.
From the outset against Kasatkina, who Osaka previously defeated, the Japanese player displayed exceptional dominance. She broke serve in the second game with a powerful backhand winner and quickly established a double-break lead. Osaka’s combination of baseline power and accuracy left Kasatkina, a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 2018, struggling to respond as Osaka closed the first set in just 28 minutes.
Kasatkina, now an Australian national, employed a variety of tactics including slices, looping topspin, drop shots, and changes of pace, all staples of her game. However, none succeeded in disrupting Osaka’s relentless rhythm. Each attempt to move Osaka off the court was met with precise groundstrokes, resulting in one of the cleanest displays witnessed during the tournament.
The second set showed signs of a potential contest when Kasatkina recovered an early break to level at 3-3. Nonetheless, Osaka raised her level once again, winning the final three games decisively. She concluded the match with five aces compared to Kasatkina’s one, winning 81% of points on her first serve and delivering 25 winners in total. Osaka’s confidence was evident throughout the match, a reflection of her recent extensive grass-court play.
“I definitely felt really good today,” Osaka said. “I’ve played a lot of matches on grass for the past two weeks, so I felt really confident. She played really good as well, so I’m really happy with the result.”
This victory marks Osaka’s third time reaching the second week of a Grand Slam since winning the US Open, indicating a steady return to the form that once made her a dominant figure in women’s tennis.
Asked whether this breakthrough could signal a special run at Wimbledon, Osaka responded with a smile, “You tell me. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, one point at a time even. It was really fun to play and I hope I keep going further and further.”
Osaka also shared a lighthearted moment about her personal life, revealing that her daughter’s third birthday celebrations on Thursday did not go as planned.
“I don’t think I should be telling you this, but she was kind of bad yesterday,” Osaka said. “We tried to take her to the park, but then she needed to be in time out, so we are going to try to take her today. She blew out her candles and made a wish so I hope her wish is to behave better. If not, today is a new day for her.”
Pegula and Bencic Advance to Fourth Round
Meanwhile, fourth seed Jessica Pegula progressed to the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. Pegula has yet to drop a set at this year’s Championships, demonstrating consistent form throughout the tournament.
Belinda Bencic, the 11th seed and a semi-finalist last year, secured her place in the last 16 after a tightly contested match against 19th seed Anna Kalinskaya. Bencic prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6), holding her nerve in the decisive tie-break to advance.
