Gauff needs eight match points to beat Osaka and reach San Jose quarter-finals

Coco Gauff beat Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday night. She’ll play Spaniard Paula Badosa, the second seed, in the next round

Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, San Jose 2022 | © Godofredo A. Vasquez / AP / SIPA)

Haresh Ramchandani

August 5, 2022

It as the match that everyone has been waiting for ever since the San Jose Open draw came out. And while it was not a three-set battle that everyone had hoped for, the second round clash between four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka and American teen Coco Gauff was exciting nonetheless. Gauff won 6-4, 6-4.

After a single break of serve enabled Gauff to win the first set 6-4, the French Open finalist built a strong 5-1 lead in the second set with the help of two breaks.

That’s when things got exciting as Osaka fought back to 5-4 after saving seven match points.

From 5-1…to 5-4!!! 😰@naomiosaka saves 7 match points and looks to level up in the second set.#MubadalaSVC pic.twitter.com/zk33JYbYnZ
— wta (@WTA) August 5, 2022

However, the comeback feel just short as Gauff served out the set to close the 6-4, 6-4 win in one hour and 28 minutes.

With the win, Osaka and Gauff are now tied at 2-2 in head-to-head.

The win sets up a quarter-final clash against the No 2 seed Paula Badosa for Gauff, who is ranked No 11 in the world. It was also her second straight sets win this week, after beating Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 6-1, 6-0 in the first round.

Osaka on Gauff: "She's very much a star. It's very clear. She's very important to the game.

"After RG last year when I withdrew, she was the 1st player to message me and I've never forgotten that. I have so much love for her and I think she behaves well beyond her age." pic.twitter.com/Z3sSMwobzi
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 5, 2022