Naomi Osaka Hopes to Get US Open Crowd’s Support While Playing ‘Little Sister’ Coco Gauff in 4th Round

Naomi Osaka knows that when she will be playing against Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the US Open, the majority of the crowd will be supporting the latter. The match, scheduled to take place on September 1, will also be between two Grand Slam champions.

Both Osaka and Gauff have clinched the US Open. It was at Flushing Meadows back in 2018 that the Japanese ace beat Serena Williams to take home her career’s first Grand Slam title.

Following a fourth-round exit, Osaka reached the 2020 US Open final and beat Victoria Azarenka. Gauff’s first Grand Slam title also came at the US Open in 2023, by defeating World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. Osaka, following her 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 win over Daria Kasatkina in the ongoing event, urged the crowd to also cheer for her during her clash with Gauff. She said during the on-court interview:

Can somebody come to the match and cheer for me? Because…(laughs) I mean, it’s…it’s kind of tough playing an American here, but I hope you guys kind of adopted me as well, so… Yeah, I don’t know, I kind of also see her as a little sister, so it’s really cool to be playing her here again.

Gauff has faced Osaka five times and edges 3-2 in the head-to-head matchups. The third seed also clinched the win the last two times they faced.

Coco Gauff recalls playing Naomi Osaka at the 2019 US Open

Coco Gauff will be squaring off against Naomi Osaka for the second time. In 2019, 15-year-old Gauff made her US Open main draw debut and started crying after Osaka knocked her out in straight sets.

Osaka tried to console her and even asked Gauff to talk during the on-court interview with her. Gauff, after knocking out Magdalena Frech in the third round of the ongoing US Open, revisited her first encounter with the 27-year-old. She said at the press conference:

The first time I played against her here, I was too euphoric. I played with too much pressure, and it took a toll on me. I should have believed more in myself instead of focusing on the expectations I had for that match. The time I played against her in Australia was very different because I believed more in myself and didn’t think so much about expectations or any other aspect. I hope to put on a great show and end up with the victory, honestly.

Osaka has so far played two WTA Finals this season, losing both. She gave the walkover to Clara Tauson at the ASB Classic and suffered a three-set defeat to Victoria Mboko at the Canadian Open.

The Japanese ace will be playing the fourth round of the US Open for the first time since her victory in 2020. Gauff has secured a spot in the fourth round in her home Grand Slam event for the fourth consecutive time. The four-time Grand Slam champion is chasing her first title since her win at the 2021 Australian Open.

The 21-year-old has so far advanced to three finals and won one title. She lost to Aryna Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini in the finals of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, respectively, but clinched her career’s first French Open singles title by beating the Belarusian.

She has not yet reached a singles final since that win. In the quarterfinals, the winner of the Gauff versus Osaka match will square off against Karolina Muchova or Marta Kostyuk. If Gauff reaches the semifinals, she could schedule a clash with six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, while in the final, Sabalenka could be her opponent.

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