Osaka becomes the second Japanese woman to reach the Miami Open semifinals since 1995. She achieved the feat following her win over American Danielle Collins. Naomi was completely dominant in the match, cruising past Collins with a 6-2, 6-1 scoreline in just an hour.

The last time Osaka played a tennis match was at Indian Wells. She lost out to Kudermetova in the second round after being heckled while playing. However, it’s been a different route in Miami as she is yet to drop a set. The four-time grand slam champion began her campaign with a gritty win over Australia’s Sharma Astra. She has since gone on to defeat Angelique Kerber, Alison Riske and finally Australian Open Semifinalist. 

READ ALSO: Super Eagles Fail In Abuja

She made a solid statement in her latest win, winning her service games comfortably. Danielle Collins never got a breakpoint opportunity against Naomi but was broken a total of five times. She hit 13 aces with a total of 25 winners and just three unforced errors. 

“I’m glad that, in a way, I don’t have a good ranking, because I’m able to play the matches that I need to play. I feel like I’m the type of person that plays better with more matches, so actually having back-to-back matches benefits me a lot.” 

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka will now look to reach her first WTA 1000 finals since 2020 as she competes against Bencic at the semis. A win over the reigning Olympic champion Bencic would be her first victory in a WTA tour-level match. 

Miami Open Naomi Osaka Tennis