Former World No.1 Naomi Osaka eased into her second US Open quarterfinal and first since winning the title in 2018 with a decisive win over Estonian rival Anett Kontaveit, advancing in straight sets 6-1, 6-2.
Facing an opponent who pushed her to three sets just last week, Osaka made it through the match without facing a break point to advance in 72 minutes under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Osaka twice recovered from second-set lulls against Misaki Doi and Ukrainian teen Marta Kostyuk to reach a third straight US Open second week, and was on a roll after winning the final five games against Kostyuk.
In all, Osaka played a clean match, striking 21 winners to 18 unforced errors while losing just five points behind her first serve. While Kontaveit made 16 winners of her own, she also made 22 unforced errors and couldn’t manage a break point opportunity through two sets.
Up next for Osaka is American Shelby Rogers, who booked her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal earlier in the day with a dramatic win over two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, saving four match points to survive a final set tie-break.
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