No. 1 Naomi Osaka (JPN) vs. WC Coco Gauff (USA)
7 p.m. in Arthur Ashe Stadium (Evening session)
- Two of tennis' biggest newsmakers from the past 12 months will face each other for the first time, and both players are ready for the challenge:
- Osaka on Gauff: "She's super sweet and I would love to play her, of course. For me, when I hear people talking about someone, I want to have the opportunity to play them just to assess it for myself. You know what I mean? So, yeah, definitely would love that."
- Gauff on Osaka: "We're both pretty young. But I'm a little bit newer to the game... So I'm just curious to see how my game matches up against her. Obviously I want to win. I just want to enjoy it, have fun, enjoy the battle."
- After Gauff made Louis Armstrong Stadium her home in two three-set thrillers, she will now look to put down roots in Ashe as she makes her debut in front of 23,711 fans in the largest tennis stadium in the world. "Cocomania" will be in full effect, as Saturday's evening session tickets sold out more than 24 hours before the match.
- Though she comes in as the reigning champ and the world No. 1, Osaka has been vulnerable throughout much of 2019, after her Australian Open title vaulted her into the top spot. Outside of Melbourne, the 21-year-old has a 21-10 record on the year (including her two US Open wins) and has not reached another final.
- Roger Federer shared his thoughts about the matchup after his win on Friday: "It's going to be tough, you know. Obviously Osaka is going to be the favorite. She played so great here last year already. [For Gauff] I think playing at home, there is always a shot and a chance, and she's done so well again here this tournament. I think we're all a bit surprised that she's able to back it up after Wimbledon, which was already an incredible run."
- Serena Williams also weighed in on the buzz surrounding the match. "I think it's super exciting tennis. Coco is obviously much, much younger than Naomi, if you could say that, because Naomi is incredibly young. But it's shocking to say that Coco is about six years younger. I definitely think it's the future of women's tennis. And I'm really excited to just be a fan girl and kind of watch."
Video: KidCasters preview the Round 3 match
