Naomi Osaka believes her last year’s hard work is already paying off after reaching her first semifinals since 2022
Naomi Osaka beats Hailey Baptiste 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-2 in Auckland to reach her first semifinals since the 2022 Miami Open.
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Naomi Osaka (Image via Imago)
After Naomi Osaka returned from her 15-month maternity leave, she struggled to find her game rhythm on the court. The 27-year-old trained hard, but it didn’t reflect on the court, which caused setbacks in her career. However, this year, she has been flying high at the Auckland Open and is already into her first semifinals in two years.
Osaka opened her 2025 account with a straight set win against Lina Glushko before beating Julia Grabher 7-5, 6-3 to reach the last eight of the Auckland Open. The former World No. 1 faced Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals. She had a shaky start in the first set against the Americans as she lost narrowly after a tie-break.
The Japanese star bounced back with a near-flawless performance featuring a powerful serving display in the remaining two sets. She finished the match with nine aces and beat the American star 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and two minutes. She’s now into her first semifinals since the 2023 Miami Open, in which she finished as runners-up.
After the victory, Osaka said that the key to her success on the court was focusing on having the belief to win. She added that her last year’s hard work is paying off.
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.
Naomi Osaka said via Forbes
Osaka, seeded seventh in Auckland, will play either Katie Volynets or unseeded American Alycia Parks in the semifinals of the tournament. The event is a tune-up for the Australian Open, which begins on the 12th of January.
Naomi Osaka hints on retirement if things don’t go as expected this season
Naomi Osaka is currently two matches away from winning her first title since the 2021 Australian Open. The four-time major champion is competing at the Auckland Open, which is her first since October, when she suffered a back injury at the China Open.
Osaka has talked about changing her on-court mentality this season. But after her first-round win against Lina Glushko in Auckland, Osaka hinted to the aforementioned outlet about hanging up her racket if she fails to reach her expectations this year.
I don’t think I’m the type of player that would hang around. I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but the point of my life that I’m at right now if I’m not above a certain ranking, I don’t see myself playing for a while. I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be.
Naomi Osaka said
Osaka will hope to win the Auckland Open as a major boost ahead of the Australian Open. However, the Japanese star will need a little bit of consistency in her game, which will give her stamina against top opponents in Melbourne.
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Victor Okechukwu
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