WHAT HAPPENED: Naomi Osaka looked every bit like the world No. 1 as she spoiled Coco Gauff's Arthur Ashe Stadium debut, ending the 15-year-old's New York run, 6-3, 6-0, in front of a sell-out Saturday night crowd of 23,771.
Gauff, the junior world No. 1 this time last year, hung tight with the defending US Open champion in the opening set, but once the 21-year-old created separation, she expertly drove home her advantage to seal her place in the Round of 16.
After the match, Osaka initiated a heartfelt chat with her opponent and encouraged her to join her for the on-court interview. Both young women shed tears in an emotional post-match scene.
Osaka's experience—as much of it that a 21-year-old can have—showed early, as she put her stamp on the match by winning the first three games. She'd already conquered an American crowd favorite in Ashe one year ago, when she beat Serena Williams in the 2018 final for her first Grand Slam. Though the stakes were somewhat lower in this third-round matchup, the atmosphere was second-to-none, as "Cocomania" gripped the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Typically the Ashe stands fill slowly for the evening session, but on this occassion it was a full house from the first ball. The crowd roared on every Gauff point, and she won eight out of 10 of them after the first changeover to close to 2-3.
Four consecutive breaks of serve presented Osaka the chance to serve for the set at 5-3. The Japanese stayed patient as she closed in on the set, working the sidelines and forcing her opponent to defend throughout. From 30-all, Osaka fired a backhand winner to punctuate a 5-ball rally, then drew an unforced error—Gauff's 13th of the set—to take the opener.
Serving to start the second, Gauff double-faulted twice (including at 15-40) as she began to look her age for the first time this fortnight. Sensing the situation, the crowd got behind the teen with renewed enthusiasm, and she responded by going up love-40 on Osaka's serve. But the Japanese won five points in a row to hold and truly take control of the match.
With Gauff fighting for her life on serve a 0-4, deuce, she cranked a down-the-line backhand winner to cap an 11-point rally, giving the Ashe crowd one more chance to shower her with praise. But another double fault—her seventh of the match—let Osaka back in.
Fully in rhythm, Osaka won the last seven points of the match to break and then serve out to love.
WHAT IT MEANS: Osaka came into the US Open with health questions after a left-knee injury forced her to retire in the third set of her quarterfinal match against Sofia Kenin in Cincinatti on Aug. 16, just 10 days before the start of the US Open.
But after a tight three-setter in Round 1 against Anna Blinkova, she has now dropped just nine games in her last two matches. She appears close to the sort of form that she'll need in order to become the first player, man or woman, since Serena (2012-14) to defend a US Open singles title.
Osaka is also fighting to retain her world No. 1 ranking. As the reigning US Open champ, she's defending not just her title but also 2,000 WTA ranking points. With Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova hot on her tail, she will need to win the title in order to have a chance stay on top. But if Barty reaches the quarterfinals or Pliskova makes the semis, Osaka will cede the top spot regardless of her result.
Gauff, meanwhile, will move onto the cusp of the WTA's Top 100 with her third-round run. She now has a 5-2 record in her two major main-draw appearances, after her Round-of-16 run in July at Wimbledon. Despite the loss, the Coco craze will live on in New York for at least one more day, as Gauff is set to take the court with partner Caty McNally for a second-round women's doubles match on Sunday.
MATCH POINT: This was Gauff's first career Top-5 match. In just four WTA main-draw appearances, she has already faced three Grand Slam champions: Venus Williams and Simona Halep at Wimbledon, and now Osaka in New York. She's 1-2 in those encounters, her only matches against Top-50 opposition, with her first-round Wimbledon win over Venus remaining her best career result.
