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Naomi Osaka arrived on No 1 Court dressed for the occasion – as usual – in a flowing, flower-patterned robe but, 66 minutes later, her tennis was what had spectators on their feet after she dismantled Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon for the first time.
“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 enjoyed the strongest grass-court swing of her career, reaching her first final on the surface in Bad Homburg before an ankle injury forced her retirement. Since arriving in London, she has barely broken stride, recording straight-sets wins over Elsa Jacquemot and Anastasia Gasanova. This win sets up a tantalising match against the four-time grand slam champion Aryna Sabalenka or the former French Open winner, Jelena Ostapenko.
From the opening exchanges against Kasatkina, who Osaka won her first WTA title against in 2018, the Japanese struck with breathtaking authority, breaking serve in the second game with a thunderous backhand winner before racing to a double-break advantage. Her trademark baseline power, coupled with remarkable precision, left the Russia-born Kasatkina – a quarter-finalist here in 2018 – scrambling for answers as Osaka surged through the opening set in just 28 minutes.
Kasatkina, who now has Australian nationality, tried everything. Slices, looping topspin, drop shots and changes of pace have long been staples of her game, but none could disrupt Osaka’s relentless rhythm. Every time she attempted to pull her opponent out of position, Osaka responded with another laser-guided groundstroke. It was as clean a display as Wimbledon has witnessed this week.
The second set briefly hinted at a contest when Kasatkina fought back to level at 3-3 after recovering an early break. But Osaka simply elevated again. She reeled off the final three games, sealing victory with authority to complete one of the standout performances of the women’s draw with five aces to Kasatkina’s one, winning 81% of points behind her first serve and 25 winners in a dazzling display. Her confidence was evident throughout the afternoon and she said her recent run of matches on the surface has made all the difference.
“I definitely felt really good today,” said Osaka. “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.”
Osaka has now reached the second week of a grand slam for just the third time since lifting the Australian Open title in 2021, another encouraging sign that the former world No 1 is steadily rediscovering the level that once made her the dominant force in women’s tennis.
Asked whether this breakthrough could be the start of something special at Wimbledon, Osaka refused to get carried away. “You tell me,” she smiled. “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.”
She also offered a lighthearted glimpse into life away from the Championships, revealing that celebrations for her daughter’s third birthday on Thursday did not quite go to plan.
“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.”
Meanwhile, the fourth seed Jessica Pegula eased into the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain, with the American yet to drop a set at this year’s Championships.
Belinda Bencic, a semi-finalist last year and the 11th seed, battled through a tense encounter, defeating the 19th seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6) after holding her nerve in the tie-break to book her place in the last 16.
