Naomi Osaka maintained her composure each time Karolína Muchová presented a challenge during Wednesday’s US Open quarterfinal. She shone brilliantly, akin to her bejeweled violet attire, and secured victory in consecutive sets, with scores of 6-4, 7-6(3).
Osaka is now scheduled to compete against American player Amanda Anisimova, the No. 8 seed, in the semifinals on Thursday.
Muchová, seeded No. 11 and hailing from the Czech Republic, aimed to secure her third successive US Open semifinal berth. Osaka, a native of Japan and the tournament’s No. 23 seed, was participating in her first major quarterfinal since her triumph at the Australian Open in 2021. The former world No. 1 was building on a straight-sets triumph over No. 3 seed Coco Gauff.
Osaka and Muchová presented a display of serving excellence, notably in the first set, during which they successfully landed 60% and 83% of their initial serves, respectively. They exchanged service games until Osaka established a 5-4 advantage. At this point, she maneuvered herself into a triple set-point opportunity. Muchová countered with a timely ace, averting the first one.
However, a subsequent return from Muchová went long, allowing Osaka to claim the opening set.
Following this, Muchová, who had spent over 10 hours on the court throughout the first four matches of her US Open journey, proceeded to the locker room. She returned with her left quadriceps bandaged.
A sequence of noteworthy volleys, succeeded by a double fault from Osaka, extended a potential break opportunity to Muchová. In fact, two such opportunities materialized, with Muchová capitalizing on the second one in a deuce. Nevertheless, Osaka immediately countered by breaking Muchová, commencing with a radiant forehand down the line.
Muchová’s mobility appeared notably constrained in the subsequent game, as Osaka traversed the baseline while utilizing her serve to establish a 2-1 lead in the second set.
Muchová persisted in striking the ball at an elevated standard, but she was pursuing a deficit against a steadfast and fit Osaka, who strategically selected moments to cover ground and adopt an aggressive style.
Each time it seemed Muchová was gaining momentum, Osaka responded, even executing another break after conceding a break for the second instance in the set.
She then dug deep to salvage two break points on her serve during a 5-5, second-set tie. Osaka maintained her composure and ultimately clinched the second set, and the match, with a tiebreaker.
Osaka has maintained an unblemished record in Grand Slam tournaments after progressing to the quarterfinals. This streak remains unbroken.
All four of her major championships have occurred on the hard court surface, with two victories at the US Open and two more at the Australian Open.
It has been over four years since her last title. She opted for a year-long hiatus in 2023 to welcome her daughter. However, she has encountered a challenging path in her return to the pinnacle of the sport.
Securing a seed in this year’s US Open afforded Osaka a more manageable draw, which she has effectively leveraged.
Anisimova rebounds impressively in rematch against Świątek
Amanda Anisimova is now advancing to the US Open semifinals for the first time in her career. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
(Robert Prange via Getty Images)
Amanda Anisimova arrived ready to compete this time.
Following a complete defeat the last time she faced Iga Świątek at the Wimbledon final earlier this summer, the eighth-seeded Anisimova performed admirably on Wednesday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The American secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory, advancing to the US Open semifinals, marking a significant turnaround within a few months.
This triumph signifies the third instance in her career in which she has overcome a top-five opponent in a major championship. Jessica Pegula remains as the other American contender in the women’s bracket of the tournament. She is scheduled to face the top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in her semifinals match.
Świątek exerted complete dominance over Anisimova at the Wimbledon final in June. She clinched a decisive 6-0, 6-0 victory, securing her sixth major championship and her inaugural Wimbledon title. She achieved this feat in under an hour, becoming the first Polish woman to claim victory at Wimbledon in the tournament’s history.
Any setbacks Anisimova experienced in that match did not carry over. Anisimova maintained pace with the second-seeded Świątek in the first set before ultimately surging ahead to an early advantage. She swiftly induced several errors in the final game, maintaining pressure on Świątek throughout.
Świątek briefly regained her composure at the commencement of the second set, taking a 2-0 lead after securing eight of the initial nine points. However, Anisimova promptly rallied, leveling the match, and subsequently surged ahead 3-2 following an exceptional rally that stunned Świątek.
From that juncture, Świątek appeared depleted on the court. She committed seven unforced errors in the second set alone as Anisimova smoothly progressed to the finish, securing her upset victory and her advancement to the semifinals.
Anisimova entered the tournament ranked No. 9 globally. This constitutes her most successful run at the US Open, and she will now advance to just her third semifinals appearance at a Grand Slam in her career. Świątek, conversely, will now miss the semifinals round of a Grand Slam for the first time this season. She reached the semifinals of both the Australian Open and the French Open prior to her Wimbledon victory.
Townsend, Siniaková advance to finals
Although not as straightforward as yesterday’s match, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniaková are moving forward to the US Open women’s doubles final.
The top-ranked doubles pairing in the sport clinched a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens in their semifinal match on Wednesday afternoon. The duo will now progress to the finals to compete against Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe in the championship.
Townsend, who engaged in a heated exchange during her third round on the singles side, nearly upset Barbora Krejčíková in the fourth round. Krejčíková persevered through a lengthy tiebreak in the second set, ultimately securing the victory and eliminating Townsend.
Townsend has only previously reached the finals at the US Open once in her career, although she and her partner were defeated in 2022. Townsend and Siniaková were defeated in the semifinals last year in New York.
