NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka’s journey back to the top of tennis has been anything but straightforward, but on Monday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, she reminded fans and rivals alike why she’s a two-time US Open champion. In a commanding 6-3, 6-2 victory over Coco Gauff, the No. 3 seed and reigning French Open champion, Osaka not only advanced to the quarterfinals of a major for the first time since 2021 but also delivered a performance brimming with confidence, resilience, and joy.
For Osaka, now 27, this return to the US Open’s second week marks a significant personal and professional milestone. Since winning her second US Open title in 2020, she’s faced a series of hurdles: mental health struggles, a public break from the game, and the challenges of returning to elite competition after giving birth to her daughter, Shai, in 2023. Yet, throughout it all, Osaka’s love for the sport has never wavered. As she put it after her latest win, “I’ve been playing this sport since I was three. I tell people it’s like breathing air to me. I wouldn’t really know what to do.”
Osaka’s triumph over Gauff was more than just a statistical upset—it was a statement. The match, which lasted just under an hour, saw Osaka dictate play from the baseline, exploiting Gauff’s inconsistency and capitalizing on her opponent’s 33 unforced errors, 20 of which came from the forehand side. Gauff, who recently parted ways with her coach and is now working with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, never found her rhythm despite serving well and matching Osaka’s ace count.
“Off the ground I think I just made way too many mistakes, way too many errors, which I feel like that’s the part of my game that I felt the most confident in coming into the tournament,” Gauff said after the match. “For sure it was not the level that I wanted to bring.”
For Gauff, the loss capped a turbulent stretch. After winning her second career major at the 2025 French Open, she suffered back-to-back first-round exits and made a high-profile coaching change just days before the US Open. While her serve showed improvement under MacMillan’s guidance, the rest of her game faltered at a critical moment. Still, Gauff remains optimistic about the future, with plans to compete at the China Open later this month and a focus on preparing for the Australian Open in January. “It’s just improvement mode to get ready for Australia,” she said. “Whatever happens for the rest of the year, I just want it to be improvement.”
Osaka, meanwhile, is savoring every moment of her resurgence. This run to the quarterfinals is her first at a Grand Slam since 2021 and a far cry from the early exits that marked her initial comeback in 2024. She credits a pivotal match at the National Bank Open in Montreal this August, where she saved two match points against Liudmila Samsonova, as a turning point in her mentality. “Ever since then I started thinking anything is possible,” Osaka explained. “I was really frustrated for a long time because I felt like I was playing well, but there was just something that I don’t know if I was missing or it was just, like, a mentality thing. Then I played Samsonova, and I didn’t give up until the very last point. Obviously, I ended up winning that. I think from that moment on I just tried to be the biggest fighter that I can be.”
Her renewed fighting spirit was on full display against Gauff. Osaka played with a palpable sense of freedom and gratitude, even smiling through a fan’s disruptive shout of “c’mon, Coco” late in the match. “What I want to take away from this tournament is just smiling and having fun,” Osaka said. “Going into this match, I just wanted to be grateful. She’s one of the best players in the world. For me, honestly, I have the most fun when I play against the best players.”
This attitude marks a sharp contrast to the pressure-filled days when Osaka was the world’s top-ranked player and a fixture in Grand Slam finals. After her 2021 decision to withdraw from the French Open to address her mental health, Osaka became a leading voice in the conversation about athlete well-being. “It’s O.K. to not be O.K.,” she wrote in a widely read essay for TIME magazine. That candor resonated beyond tennis, inspiring athletes across sports to prioritize their mental health.
Osaka’s journey hasn’t been without controversy. During this year’s Canadian Open final, she drew criticism for not congratulating her opponent, Victoria Mboko, on court—a moment she later explained was an inadvertent oversight. But Osaka’s resilience and openness have only deepened her connection with fans. After her win over Gauff, she revealed her latest plush toy companion, Althea Glitterson, a sparkling Labubu from Pop Mart, delighting the crowd and underscoring her renewed sense of fun.
Now, as she prepares to face No. 11 seed Karolína Muchová in the quarterfinals, Osaka is fully aware of the significance of her achievement. “I can’t really speak too much on the second week of a major, because this is my first time back here,” she admitted. “I feel really relaxed. I don’t feel stressed at all. For me, whatever happens the rest of this tournament… I’m just trying to be a better tennis player and learn from every match that I play.”
Osaka’s history at the US Open is remarkable: every time she’s reached the quarterfinals of a major, she’s gone on to win the title. Could this be another chapter in her storied career? The crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium certainly hopes so. As she told fans after the match, “This is my favorite court in the world, and it means so much to me to be back here.”
Meanwhile, the women’s draw remains wide open. Alongside Osaka, Iga Swiatek powered past Ekaterina Alexandrova to book her own spot in the quarterfinals, while Amanda Anisimova reached her first US Open quarterfinal with a dominant win over Beatriz Haddad Maia. On the men’s side, Felix Auger-Aliassime stunned Andrey Rublev, and top names like Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic continue their campaigns.
With Gauff’s exit, Osaka is now the sentimental favorite in New York. Her comeback story—marked by adversity, perseverance, and a rediscovered joy for the game—has captivated the tennis world. As the US Open heads into its decisive stages, all eyes will be on Osaka as she seeks to extend her remarkable run and perhaps, once again, lift the trophy on her favorite court.
