Naomi Osaka didn’t see the US Open final between Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu

This past week saw the first-ever meeting between Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu. The two played a quarterfinal match at the China Open. Osaka was victorious in the match between two of the best young talents in the sport. The two players have already won Grand Slam titles at a young age. Osaka won her first major title at age 20 in last year’s US Open while 19-year-old Andreescu won the tournament this year. Both players defeated Serena Williams in the finals.

Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams

Osaka has played Williams three times in her career. She holds a 2-1 record over the 23-time Grand Slam champion. Her victories were at the Miami Open and the US Open in 2018 and her loss was at the Rogers Cup this year. Andreescu, on the other hand, holds a 2-0 record against Williams. Their first meeting was at the final of the Rogers Cup. She won the tournament after the former world number one retired from the match due to injury. Their second match was at the US Open in September which the 19-year-old won to become the first Canadian Grand Slam champion in history.

Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu

Ahead of their meeting in China this week, Osaka admitted that she had not watched the US Open final. The Japanese star had a disappointing tournament in New York, losing to Belinda Bencic in the round of 16. The 21-year-old, however, said she was aware Andreescu had won the tournament. Despite not watching the final, Osaka said she was familiar with Canadian’s game. She had watched Bianca play at the Rogers Cup and was impressed with her talent and skill set. The former world number one noted that the 19-year-old had played many third set matches which showed she was a very determined player.

Qualifying for Shenzhen

In their first meeting in Beijing this past week, Osaka came from behind to record her quarterfinal victory. She halted Andreescu’s 17-match winning streak. The Canadian also had a clean record against top-ten opponents, going 8-0 before losing to Osaka. The Japanese player won the China Open on Sunday. She defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinal on Saturday before overcoming Ashleigh Barty in Sunday’s final. 2019 US Open champion and Osaka could meet again at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen. Both players have qualified for the tournament which will start from 27^th October to 3^rd November.

Naomi Osaka’s ranking and performance in 2019

Ranked no.3, Osaka played her last match on the 6^th of October when she defeated Ashleigh Barty 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final in Beijing to win her 4^th career title.

This year the Japanese has a 39-11 win-loss record. Osaka has won 3 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Osaka and in Beijing.