Naomi Osaka completed a big comeback against Hailey Baptiste 6-7 (2) 6-1 6-2 to progress into the semifinal at the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland.
Early in the match, not much was separating the two and the 92nd-ranked American managed to win the opener after winning five consecutive points from 2-2 in the tie-break.
However, the former world No. 1 didn’t panic – and not only that she didn’t collapse after losing a tight first set – but she also raised her level in a big way, breaking Baptiste three times in the second set to force a decider.
Then, Osaka didn’t have any issues completing her comeback as she broke the 23-year-old two times and faced no break points.
Throughout the match, the Japanese served exceptionally and fired 10 aces, along with 17 winners.
In her next match, the four-time Grand Slam champion will battle against either Katie Volynets or Alycia Parks.
Naomi Osaka© ASB Classic/Instagram – Fair Use
Osaka makes her first semifinal in two and a half years, returns to the top-50
For the 27-year-old, this is her first WTA semifinal since launching her post-pregnancy return.
Also, she has made a semifinal for the first time since the 2022 Miami Open.
And, the Japanese – who started this week ranked at No. 57 in the world – is currently at No. 50 in live rankings and will also return to the top-50 next week.
“I think the key focuses that I had were just to have a lot of belief and confidence in myself. I think I put a lot of work in throughout last year, and even though the results didn’t show it, I think I’m just continuing to, I guess, try as hard as I can and see where it gets me,” Osaka said in her on-court interview after reaching the Auckland semifinal.
Tennis World USA