After failing to defend the championship title in the just-concluded U.S. Open, Naomi Osaka is ready to move to the next set of tournaments. She was unceremoniously kicked off Flushing Meadows by Swiss challenger Belinda Bencic in the fourth round of the competition, so the former world No. 1 clearly wants to perform better. Osaka, who currently ranks No. 4 in the world, seems to have set her eyes on the Toray Pan Pacific Open as the site of her comeback.
Naomi Osaka in the Pan Pacific Open
As Osaka is set to compete in Japan’s Pan Pacific Open, she acknowledged that she exhibited a terrible performance during the European string of tournaments this year. She said that she wants to be at least able to reach beyond the quarterfinals. She hopes that she will be able to do it in the Pan Pacific Open because she believes that she always performs well in Japan.
It can be recalled that Osaka also did well in last year’s Pan Pacific Open. If anything, it was her great performance during the Pan Pacific Open that proved that her win against Serena Williams in the U.S. Open a few weeks prior was not a fluke. Osaka ended up as the runner-up to former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova during the competition.
Osaka on the lookout for a new coach
Fluctuating performance is not the only problem Osaka is facing right now. She just announced that she and coach Jermaine Jenkins have parted ways. This is the second time that Osaka let go of a coach this year alone. After the Australian Open, Osaka also cut professional ties with her previous coach, Sascha Bajin, for still-unknown reasons.
Osaka’s moment with Coco Gauff during the U.S. Open
Despite her loss during the 2019 U.S. Open, Osaka did deliver one of the brightest moments during the entire competition. After defeating fellow rising star Coco Gauff during the third round, she called on her opponent during her post-match, on-court interview to join her.
She recently talked about her choice, saying that she wanted to make sure that her 15-year old opponent got the chance to address as many ears as possible. After all, not all of the people watching the matches go on to watch the press conferences scheduled after.
Gauff, on the other hand, said that she was shocked when Osaka requested her to join. She wanted to leave the court immediately after losing but Osaka’s surprising request encouraged her to stay. During the interview, Gauff commended Osaka for being sweet to her and told her she was thankful for what she did.
Naomi Osaka’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.4, Naomi played her last match on the 2nd of September when she had to bow to Belinda Bencic 7-5 6-4 in the 4th round in U.S. Open.
This year Naomi has a 29-11 win-loss record. Naomi has won 1 title at the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka |
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