Two of the most exciting talents in tennis are to meet for the first time today when Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu clash in the China Open quarter-finals.
On the eve of what could be the start of a long rivalry, 21-year-old Osaka called the 19-year-old Canadian “an amazing player” and said: “I have to learn from her.”
The Japanese, on the upswing after a slump following her triumph at the Australian Open at the start of the year, smiled before adding: “I’m older than her, very much so.”
“I noticed that she seems to be very ... just focused,” she said.
Osaka, yet to drop a set in three matches in Beijing and fresh from winning the Pan Pacific Open in Japan, yesterday earned her place in the last eight in style.
The two-time Grand Slam champion said that she was “angry relaxed” after a dominant 6-4, 6-0, win over unseeded American Alison Riske.
Osaka, the world No. 4, reeled off 10 games in a row to seal victory.
“I’m relaxed, but I’m a little bit angry, it’s an angry relaxed,” Osaka said when asked what was behind her recent success in Japan and now China.
“I know after Australia I was like: ‘I’m going to have fun.’ It was not fun, I did not have fun,” she said, referring to her dip in form.
Andreescu, ranked sixth and playing her first tournament since stunning Serena Williams in the US Open final, thrashed American qualifier Jennifer Brady.
The teenager, who is on a roll of 16 wins on the trot, started with intent, breaking Brady’s first service game on the way to a brutal 6-1, 6-3 win in 68 minutes.
Also into the last eight in hot and hazy Beijing was reigning champion Caroline Wozniacki, a former world No. 1. She is to face Russia’s Daria Kasatkina.
Current women’s No. 1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia is to play seventh seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.
In the men’s draw, title-holder Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia was on course to pull off a surprise against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.
However, 21-year-old Tsitsipas, ranked seventh, came back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 and is next to face big-serving John Isner of the US in the quarter-finals.
Isner sent down 21 aces in defeating Britain’s Dan Evans in two sets.
JAPAN OPEN
David Goffin of Belgium yesterday advanced to the Japan Open quarter-finals after squeezing by Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/2).
Both men kept all of their service games — with Shapovalov nailing 10 aces against third seed Goffin’s four — in the close match that lasted nearly two hours.
Goffin, the winner in 2017, used his footwork to survive two break points while the big-serving Canadian kept up the pressure.
Goffin is next to face Chung Hyeon of South Korea, who pulled an upset victory against sixth seed Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
“It was tough. We were both really solid on our service games,” Goffin said of his match. “But he was serving so well. A lefty, serving everywhere. Great second serves as well. So it was tough to break him today. So I had to fight.”
However, match data provided proof that Goffin kept an edge above his opponent, landing 70 percent of his first serves, against 52 percent by Shapovalov.
Meanwhile, Asian rising star Chung also submitted fiery tennis against the veteran Croat, with an early break in the first set giving him a head start toward victory.
The 23-year-old aced 11 times and logged one double fault, while Cilic suffered seven double faults with eight aces.
Chung was on fire throughout the match, having scored points on 90 percent of all of his successful first serves.
In the rest of the tournament, Japanese wild-card Taro Daniel defeated Australian rival Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
He is next to face Australian qualifier John Millman, who defeated South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-2.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, returning from a shoulder injury, is today scheduled to play French fifth seed Lucas Pouille.
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