Auckland, Jan 3 (NationPress) Naomi Osaka, a former World No. 1, has made it to her first WTA semifinal in nearly three years after achieving a 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-2 victory over Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic on Friday.
Osaka managed to overcome two brief rain delays during the match before triumphing over the rising American star Baptiste after 2 hours and 2 minutes of intense play.
The Japanese player advanced to her first tour-level semifinal since returning from maternity leave a year ago. The last time she reached the final four or better at a WTA event was during her runner-up finish at the 2022 Miami Open, where she lost to Iga Swiatek. Last year, she secured two quarterfinal appearances in Doha and 's-Hertogenbosch.
“I think the key focuses that I had were just to have a lot of belief and confidence in myself. I put in a lot of effort throughout last year, and even though the results didn’t show it, I am just continuing to try as hard as I can and see where it gets me,” Osaka expressed on court after her victory.
Osaka had to stage a comeback to fend off Baptiste, who was competing in her first career WTA quarterfinal.
“Baptiste is an amazing player. It’s unfortunate that she was injured, but I think we played a really high-quality match. In a strange way, I’m glad to have experienced a three-set match because that’s the kind of experience I need,” Osaka remarked.
Both players recorded 10 unforced errors in the first set, but Baptiste had 17 winners compared to Osaka's five during that period, including an ace to clinch a set point in the tiebreak, as per WTA statistics.
Osaka flipped the match in the second set, breaking Baptiste's serve three times. After that set, Baptiste took a medical timeout for her foot and struggled to regain her momentum.
Osaka maintained her dominance in the final set, with her 10th and final ace of the day setting up her first match point. She closed the match from there, securing her place in the final four for the first time since welcoming her daughter Shai in 2023.
