Osaka v Anisimova live stream | Australian Open 2022 preview
Naomi Osaka will take on in-form Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the 2022 Australian Open on Friday.
Anisimova is one of the best in-form players at the moment, having won each of her last 14 matches on hard courts. Amanda has recently won the Melbourne Summer Set 2 trophy recently after a 2-1 victory over Sasnovich in the final. The American has recently joined forces with coach Darren Cahill for a trial period, and this Melbourne title was actually her first one in three years.
Amanda kicked off her Australian Open campaign with an unconvincing 2-1 win over Hartono, but she did well to beat Bencic in straight sets in the second round.
Osaka, meanwhile, began her title defence with a straight-set win over Serrano and followed that up with another comfortable victory over Brengle. Osaka had a flawless first set against Brengle, but had to recover going down a break in the second set before winning the tie.
She has now reached the Third Round of the Australian Open for the sixth time in seven appearances.
Osaka has only dropped one game in five matches this year so far, but it will be interesting to see if she can keep this record clean against an in-form opponent like Anisimova.
We expect an entertaining match, so our prediction is Over 21.5 Games at odds of 9/10 with Bet365.
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£10 bet returns £19.00 with Bet365 – Odds correct at time of writing
Anisimova v Osaka is available to watch via a live stream on desktop, mobile or tablet devices from approximately 8am GMT.
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Reigning Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka will take on Madison Brengle in the Second Round in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Brengle’s record on hard courts over the past three months reads 12 victories and just three defeats in 15 matches. She has won four and lost just two of her first six matches in 2022, including a weird victory over Dayana Yastremska in the opening round of the 2022 Australian Open.
She ended up on the winning side in the match against Yastremska, however it must be said that the Ukrainian had a poor showing by her standards, with 60 unforced errors and eventually retired from the match.
Prior to the Australian Open, Brengle did well to reach the quarter-finals in Adelaide 2 but was forced to retire in the first set against Alison Riske due to a slight injury. Brengle’s best Grand Slam result ever has been a fourth round appearance at the Australian Open back in 2015.
Osaka did well to win her first three outings in 2022 before withdrawing from the Semi-Finals of the Summer Set 1 tournament.
Osaka began her Australian Open title defense with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over Osorio. However, Naomi needs to step up her game a little bit as she made 28 unforced errors during the match against Osorio.
Osaka’s sole title in 2021 was actually the Australian Open. The most recent tournament where she competed before the start of 2022 was the US Open, where she lost 2-1 to Leylah Fernandez in the round of 32.
Osaka is usually getting better as the tournament progress. This means that we expect Under 18.5 Games at odds of 9/1 with Bet365.
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Osaka v Brengle is available to watch via a live stream on desktop, mobile or tablet devices from approximately 8.00am GMT.
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Two of the most exciting young stars in women’s tennis collide at the 2021 Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday as Naomi Osaka takes on Coco Gauff.
With a combined age of just 40, the talented pair are in the early stages of what could prove to be an era-defining rivalry in the coming years.
The build-up to the match has been dominated by Osaka’s off-court issues, with the world number two breaking down in tears on Monday in her first press conference since the controversy over her refusal to speak to media at the French Open.
Osaka pulled out of Roland Garros shortly after and also missed Wimbledon in order to take a break from tennis to focus on her mental health.
She returned to compete at the Olympic Games on home soil in Tokyo, where she lit the flame at the opening ceremony before going on to lose in the Third Round.
The reigning Australian Open champion and four-time Grand Slam singles winner has been short of match action in contrast to many of her rivals in recent months, but will be keen to get back to business and let her tennis do the talking in the build-up to the US Open.
She faces a tough opening test against world number 24 Gauff – quarter-finalist in this year’s French Open and a winner of the WTA Parma this season.
The 17-year-old sensation defeated Hsieh Su-wei 6-1, 6-2 earlier in the week and has experience of beating Osaka in a major event, having done so at the 2020 Australian Open.
With Gauff in superb form this season and Osaka beginning to regain her sharpness on court, we expect a close-run contest in Cincinnati and are opting for over 21.5 total games to be played.
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£10 bet returns £18.33 with Bet365 – Odds correct at time of writing
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Naomi Osaka has opted out of Wimbledon 2021 in order to take an extended break from competitive tennis for personal reasons.
Osaka withdrew from the recent French Open amid the row surrounding her decision not to participate in media duties.
The 23-year-old was fined $15,000 for refusing to attend press conferences at Roland Garros and pulled out of the tournament just 24 hours after her First Round win, having been threatened with expulsion by tournament organisers.
The Japanese star, who has been open about her battle with anxiety and depression, will continue to spend time with friends and family.
The world number two, however, is planning to return at the Tokyo Olympics – which begin on July 23 – to represent the host nation.
Osaka becomes the second high-profile name to withdraw from Wimbledon 2021 after Rafael Nadal announced he will skip the grass court show-piece to “recuperate” after the clay-court season.
Unlike Osaka, Nadal has also opted out of the Olympic Games, having been a gold medalist in the singles at both Beijing 2008 and the doubles at Rio 2016.
Nadal cited the shorter turnaround between the French Open and Wimbledon this year as a key factor in his decision.
World number two Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the 2021 French Open at after the controversy over her refusal to speak to the media.
Osaka, 23, was fined $15,000 for refusing to attend press conferences at Roland Garros and a joint statement from Grand Slam organisers on Sunday indicated Osaka could face expulsion from the tournament.
Osaka, whose refusal to speak to the media comes as a result of mental health concerns, has now taken matters into her own hands by pulling out of the tournament.
Just 24 hours after beating Patricia Maria Tig in straight sets to reach Round Two, Osaka released a lengthy statement on social media to announce her decision to withdraw from the French Open.
Osaka said that she needed to prioritise her mental health and did not want her press conference boycott to overshadow the tournament.
“I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka said.
“I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly.
“The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.
“Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.
“Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I wanna apologise especially to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media.
“I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can.
“So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences.
“I announced it pre-emptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.
“I wrote privately to the tournament apologising and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the slams are intense.”
“I’m gonna take some time away from the court now but when the time is right I really want to work with the tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans.”
The final comment has cast doubt over Osaka’s participation in Wimbledon next month and it is unclear as to when she plans to return to competitive action.
Romania’s Ana Bogdan now receives a walkover into the Third Round at Roland Garros.
A statement from Roland Garros said: “First and foremost, we are sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka. The outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland-Garros is unfortunate.
“We wish her the best and the quickest possible recovery, and we look forward to having Naomi at our Tournament next year.
“As all the Grand Slams, the WTA, the ATP and the ITF, we remain very committed to all athletes’ well-being and to continually improving every aspect of players’ experience in our Tournament, including with the Media, like we have always strived to do.”
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A second US Open title for Naomi Osaka, or the end of a seven-year Grand Salm drought for Victoria Azarenka? An extraordinary US Open final awaits.
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Naomi Osaka vs Victoria Azarenka | US Open women's final | 12/9/2020, 21.00 BST
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Osaka vs Azarenka is live from New York on Saturday 12 September, 4pm local/9pm BST
The final that we didn’t get to see in ‘Cincinnati’ will instead take place on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the grand prize – a Grand Slam title – as Naomi Osaka, the 2018 US Open champion, faces off with the resurgent Victoria Azarenka, into her first major final in seven years.
It’s a fitting finale to this unusual but gripping US Open after both women fought their way through a pair of classic semifinals, Osaka beating Jennifer Brady while Azarenka avenged two US Open final defeats to Serena Williams.
Read on for our preview, predictions and live streaming information.
How to watch Osaka vs Azarenka live
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Osaka vs Azarenka: Head-to-head
Naomi Osaka leads the head-to-head with Victoria Azarenka 2-1, having beaten her in Rome in 2018 and at the French Open in 2019.
Their only match on hard courts was a win for Azarenka, 6-1, 6-1 at the Australian Open in 2016.
Osaka vs Azarenka: Preview
There was a lot of talk about asterisks in the run-up to this US Open, but whoever wins the title will have earned it by playing some spectacular tennis against tough opponents – not least the one they face in the final.
Osaka, the favourite, has never lost a Grand Slam final and has a 5-2 record in WTA Tour finals overall. The Japanese-Haitian player has spoken of the importance of sustaining a positive attitude and that’s been evident; even when her matches have got tough – taken to three sets as she was twice in the first three rounds, by Misaki Doi and Marta Kostyuk – Osaka has not got tight, neither backing off her shots nor going for too much but maintaining an easy, relaxed balance between dictating play and not allowing her unforced errors to get out of control.
Most top players would have lost to Brady, who continues to dazzle in 2020 and who competed brilliantly in her first Grand Slam semifinal. Osaka not only had the weapons to match Brady shot for shot, but managed to stay creative and positive and was the more consistent player throughout; she also showed no sign of fatigue or fading physically, which could be crucial in the final.
Victoria Azarenka is 0-2 in US Open finals (PA Images)
As well as Azarenka played against Serena Williams, and she did, Williams definitely did fade physically – although Azarenka’s superb tennis did play its role in that, too. A firestorm of first-strike tennis from Williams in the first set passed over Azarenka without damaging her self-belief, and then the Belarusian went to work, elevating her game in the second set. For a player who is fundamentally a counterpuncher, Azarenka does a very credible impression of a power player through absorbing and redirecting her opponent’s pace, refusing to back off from the baseline and taking the ball incredibly early. She also served very, very well; the most vulnerable shot in her arsenal looked rock solid under extreme pressure.
The head-to-head isn’t too helpful in this one. It’s tempting to conclude that if Osaka can beat Azarenka on clay, she can certainly do it on hard courts, a surface on which Osaka is much more comfortable; but Azarenka in 2018-19 was not playing anything like the Azarenka of this fortnight. She’s playing like the Azarenka of 2016, who thumped Osaka 6-1, 6-1; but then Osaka in 2016 was not the player she has become over the past few years. My instinct is that power – offensive, point-ending shots – will generally trump defense, and that Azarenka’s serve will at some point let her down. But Azarenka is playing too well not to make the match a decent length.
Osaka vs Azarenka: Prediction
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Naomi Osaka has never lost a Grand Slam semifinal – will she keep that streak alive as she faces Jennifer Brady at the US Open?
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Osaka vs Brady is live from New York on Wednesday 9 September, 7pm local/12am BST
Every time in her young career that Naomi Osaka has reached the semifinals of a major, the Japanese-Haitian player has gone on to win the title. Is the 2018 US Open champion headed back to the final in New York?
Osaka is up against a player in Jennifer Brady, however, who has been a revelation in 2020, transformed by a revamped off-season training regimen and new team set-up. Brady has yet to lose a set at the US Open – can Osaka halt her headlong run?
Read on for our preview, predictions and live streaming information.
How to watch Osaka vs Brady live
US Open matches including Naomi Osaka vs Jennifer Brady are streamed live alongside odds and in-play betting at bet365.
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2. Sign in or open an account and deposit £5 or more
3. Go to tennis > US Open Women > Osaka vs Brady
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Osaka vs Brady: Head-to-head
The head-to-head between Naomi Osaka and Jennifer Brady is 1-1. Brady beat Osaka 6-4, 6-4 at an ITF tournament in 2014. Osaka won their only WTA Tour-level match in 2018 on green clay in Charleston, 6-4, 6-4.
Osaka vs Brady: Preview
Not that there’s a huge sample size, but historically, Naomi Osaka has been unstoppable by this point in a Grand Slam. The world no. 9 has only twice been past the round of 16 at a major, and both times she’s won that tournament, at the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open.
I was sceptical that Osaka would still be in the tournament at this stage when she pulled out of the Western & Southern Open final just two days before her first US Open match due to a left hamstring injury, and became even more so when she was taken to three sets twice in her first three matches, by Misaki Doi and Marta Kostyuk.
But although she is still playing with her left thigh heavily strapped, Osaka has said that the injury is bothering her less and less, and she has played her two finest matches of the tournament in the last two rounds, beating Anett Kontaveit and Shelby Rogers by identical scorelines: 6-3, 6-4.
The fact that Osaka beat two very in-form big-serving power players in straight sets is very relevant, because Jennifer Brady is another player very much in that mould.
Jennifer Brady hasn’t dropped a set at the US Open (PA Images)
The American’s last two opponents, Yulia Putintseva and Angelique Kerber, were counterpunchers above all else, and Brady was able to blast through them with the devastating, accurate power that’s the trademark of her game, particularly on the forehand wing. She needed an MTO against Kerber and wasn’t moving quite as freely as she has been against Putintseva, although she had such a power advantage and was so confident that it didn’t really matter.
Playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, however, the nerves have to be immense, and any physical question marks are likely to come back to haunt her; in Osaka, moreover, Brady has an opponent who can dictate points as effortlessly as she herself does. Osaka seems entirely in the groove of this tournament now, and she’s very difficult to beat when that’s the case. She beat Brady 6-4, 6-4 in their only previous WTA Tour-level meeting, and a similar scoreline seems likely in Thursday’s US Open semifinal.
Osaka vs Brady: Prediction
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Naomi Osaka has never beaten Shelby Rogers – but there’s no better time to do so than in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
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Osaka vs Rogers is live from New York on Tuesday 8 September, 7pm local/12am BST
Naomi Osaka is back into the quarterfinals for the first time since claiming the US Open title in 2018 and not looking too eager to depart this tournament, judging by her performance against Anett Kontaveit in the fourth round.
The world no. 9 is up against powerful American Shelby Rogers, who has justified her red-hot pre-tournament form with a run to the quarterfinals, saving four match points against Petra Kvitova. Rogers has won all three previous meetings with Osaka.
Read on for our preview, predictions and live streaming information.
How to watch Osaka vs Rogers live
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Osaka vs Rogers: Head-to-head
Shelby Rogers leads the head-to-head with Naomi Osaka 3-0, although they have only played once at WTA Tour level – on the green clay of Charleston in 2017. Their two previous meetings were in 2013 and 2015, before Osaka broke into the top 200.
Osaka vs Rogers: Preview
As well as she played to reach the final of the Western & Southern Open the week before the US Open began, the left hamstring injury which Osaka incurred in the closing stages of her semifinal match against Elise Mertens and which caused her to pull out of the final she was due to play against Victoria Azarenka looked as if it might doom her campaign.
Four matches later, however, and those expectations must be revised. Osaka weathered tough three-set clashes with Misaki Doi and Marta Kostyuk to reach the last 16, before improving to 5-0 vs Anett Kontaveit, the in-form Estonian who had pushed Osaka all the way to 5-7 in the third in ‘Cincinnati’.
Osaka delivered a brilliant serving performance against Kontaveit – no slouch herself in that department – as she lost just nine points behind first and second serve combined throughout the match. She didn’t face a single break point herself, while creating ten opportunities on Kontaveit’s serve, converting three.
Osaka also, ominously, said that her leg was feeling better, which is not good news for quarterfinal opponent Rogers.
Shelby Rogers lost over a year of her career to injury (PA Images)
‘Resurgence’ has been the keynote for some of the most notable players in the women’s draw so far this fortnight – Victoria Azarenka, Tsvetana Pironkova – and it’s what it’s all about for Rogers, too. The American was a quarterfinalist at the French Open in 2016, but lost almost an entire season in 2018 to a knee injury and didn’t return until April 2019, when she was unranked.
Rogers’ charge back up the rankings has been accomplished at breakneck speed, but although she was having good results at the start of the year – qualifying for the Australian Open and winning the $100k in Midland – they didn’t really catch the eye. But beating Serena Williams in Lexington did, and at the US Open she beat 11th seed Elena Rybakina among others and didn’t drop a set until she came up against Petra Kvitova.
Kvitova had lost to Rogers in their only previous meeting at the French Open in 2016, but that one was relatively tame compared to the thrills and swings of this US Open clash, which a lot of people missed because Novak Djokovic was being defaulted on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Rogers played some extraordinary tennis to weather four match points and beat Kvitova 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6).
Rogers is not an easy opponent here. But I do think she’s one that Osaka can beat, despite that head-to-head. Unlike Kvitova’s flat strokes, Osaka hits a heavy ball, like Rogers herself, and it puts a different complexion on things. The fourth seed shouldn’t miss as much as Kvitova did, and her ability to use short angles to open the court should be effective. Rogers and Kontaveit play somewhat similarly, and that will help to make it a comfortable match-up for Osaka.
Osaka vs Rogers: Prediction
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Anett Kontaveit has never beaten Naomi Osaka – can she find a way to do so with a place in the quarterfinals of the US Open on the line?
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Osaka vs Kontaveit is live from New York on Sunday 6 September, 8.30pm local/1.30am BST
Despite an ongoing left hamstring injury, 2018 US Open champion Naomi Osaka has made it to the last 16 in New York for the third year in a row – and she has an unbeaten 4-0 record vs her opponent Anett Kontaveit.
Kontaveit, who is looking to make her second Grand Slam quarterfinal of the year, came as close as she ever has to beating Osaka when they played less than two weeks ago at the Western & Southern Open, before the Japanese-Haitian player pulled off a great escape. With Osaka hampered by injury, could this be Kontaveit’s chance?
Read on for our preview, predictions and live streaming information.
How to watch Osaka vs Kontaveit live
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Osaka vs Kontaveit: Head-to-head
Naomi Osaka has a 4-0 record vs Anett Kontaveit, with three of their matches having taken place on hard courts. That includes their most recent encounter, when Kontaveit led 6-4, 2-0 before losing 6-4, 2-6, 5-7.
Osaka vs Kontaveit: Preview
It was a potential fourth-round match that drew everybody’s eye when the draw was released, but there were times when it looked like Osaka and Kontaveit would not manage to meet in the last 16.
Anett Kontaveit has won six straight sets at the US Open, averaging 2.3 games lost in those six sets (PA Images)
Estonia’s Kontaveit has been largely unwavering, continuing her very, very strong form from the first half of 2020, both sides of the shutdown. The powerful 24-year-old, coached by Nigel Sears, made her first major quarterfinal at the Australian Open in January, then returned from hiatus to make the final in Palermo and the quarterfinals in ‘Cincinnati’, where she was stopped by Osaka; at the US Open, she dropped the first set 5-7 to former Australian Open semifinalist Danielle Collins, but has won six straight sets since then against Collins, Kaja Juvan and Magda Linette, dropping an average 2.3 games in each of those sets.
Kontaveit thus enters the match at a clear physical advantage: She’s an incredibly fit player, and has kept her time on court to a minimum, conserving plenty of energy for tougher challenges.
Osaka, meanwhile, has not had quite such a smooth path. The Japanese-Haitian player impressed at the Western & Southern Open, not least with her wins over Kontaveit and Elise Mertens, but injured her leg in the late stages of the latter match and pulled out before the final against Victoria Azarenka. The last thing she needed was tough matches during the first week, but that’s what she got, dropping the second set against Misaki Doi in the first round.
Osaka lost just three games against a below-par Camila Giorgi in the second, but in the third round she again found herself having to work very hard against an impressive Marta Kostyuk. The 18-year-old Ukrainian had first made the third round of a major as a 15-year-old at the 2018 Australian Open, and she played very well against Osaka, constantly attacking the net and producing some dazzling tennis. Osaka won the first set, but slightly lost her way after Kostyuk needed a lengthy medical time-out at the beginning of the second, and ended up losing it in a tie-break. The fourth seed had to save five break points at 1-2 in the decider, before going on to break Kostyuk twice to record a 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory in just under two and a half hours.
I still think Osaka’s leg is a concern, and these types of matches will not have helped it. The match against Kontaveit in ‘Cincinnati’ really was very close, with Osaka’s slightly more creative shotmaking – the ability to open the court with shorter, angled balls – one of the things that made the difference in the end. Kontaveit has a big serve, powerful groundstrokes and she’s playing like a well-oiled machine right now
Osaka vs Kontaveit: Prediction
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Naomi Osaka faces 18-year-old Marta Kostyuk, a rising player on an impressive run, with a place in the last 16 at the US Open on the line.
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Osaka vs Kostyuk is live from New York on Friday 4 September, time TBC
Still struggling with the left hamstring injury which saw her pull out of the final of the Western & Southern Open, Naomi Osaka tries to avoid her third last-32 defeat in the past five majors as she takes on Marta Kostyuk on Friday.
Kostyuk made headlines as a 15-year-old phenomenon and has already upset a former top-10 player and a former US Open semifinalist to reach the third round – will a former US Open champion be the Ukrainian teenager’s next victim?
Read on for our preview, predictions and live streaming information.
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Osaka vs Kostyuk: Head-to-head
This will be the first match between Naomi Osaka and Marta Kostyuk.
Osaka vs Kostyuk: Preview
Once you reach the top of the game, it doesn’t take very long before the up-and-comers start jostling to take you down, and that’s certainly been Naomi Osaka’s experience. The Japanese-Haitian player transformed herself swiftly from rising threat to world no. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, and pretty much immediately had to start fending off rising threats herself.
Osaka escaped having to face one of those rising threats, Coco Gauff – who had beaten her in the third round of the Australian Open in January – in the third round, but instead faces another, and possibly more dangerous because less known, up-and-comer: 18-year-old Marta Kostyuk.
Marta Kostyuk broke records when she made the third round of the Australian Open in 2018 (PA Images)
Kostyuk, an Australian Open junior champion in 2017, made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open in 2018 when she became the first player born in the 2000s to reach the main draw of a major, and went on to reach the third round, the youngest player to do so at a Grand Slam since Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at the US Open in 1997. Kostyuk narrowly missed out on qualifying for Wimbledon the same year, rising to world no. 116, but her ranking dropped through a quieter 2019 which saw her reach two ITF finals and made a WTA quarterfinal in Strasbourg, compiling a 35-16 win-loss record without really making the headlines.
These years are incredibly difficult to navigate for young players, so a season spent quietly gaining matches, experience and confidence as opposed to meteorically rising through the rankings is no bad thing. Kostyuk won the ITF $60k in Cairo before the shutdown and after it, played qualifying for Palermo and Prague, reaching the main draw at the latter. As a result she came into the US Open with some matches under her belt and has scored two very impressive wins there. Daria Kasatkina, who went down 1-6, 2-6 in the first round, is slumping badly, but Anastasija Sevastova in the second had just knocked out Coco Gauff in a thriller and also has a win over Serena Williams in 2020. Sevastova also plays very well at the US Open, making the semifinals in 2018, and Kostyuk’s 6-3, 7-6(5) victory over her was noteworthy.
Osaka, meanwhile, got dragged to three sets by Misaki Doi in the first round, and although she had a very quick win over Camila Giorgi in the second, that had a lot to do with a very poor performance from Giorgi, who put up little resistance in a 1-6, 2-6 defeat.
Osaka had her thigh heavily strapped for the Giorgi match, and based purely on the look of things, I think she’ll be in trouble as soon as she faces a player who can really make her run. Kostyuk can certainly do that. The 18-year-old has nothing to lose, loves the big stage and I wouldn’t entirely be surprised if she pulled off a huge upset win on Friday.
Osaka vs Kostyuk: Prediction
Recommended bet
Naomi Osaka vs Marta Kostyuk | US Open women's singles R3 | 4/9/2020
Kostyuk to win 4/1 Bet Now! New Customers only. 18+. T&C’s Apply. begambleaware.org.££10 bet returns £50 with William Hill – Odds correct at 14.05 BST on 3/9/2020
