Coco Gauff carried Naomi Osaka’s bags off court after the Japanese star retired due to a lower back injury sustained during their match at the China Open on Tuesday.
In the first meeting between the two Grand Slam champions in more than two years, Osaka found herself 6-3 and a break up at 4-3 on Gauff before fading fast as she went on to lose three straight games, including two service games, to drop the second set and then retire with an injury.
Gauff, a former US Open champion, will play No 115-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva in the quarter-finals after the Ukrainian caused an upset by beating Anna Kalinskaya 7-5 6-0.
“It was a good match up until this point. I wish Naomi a speedy recovery. No one wants to win a match like this. Especially at one-set all,” said 20-year-old Gauff.
“Overall I tried my best. It wasn’t my best tennis.. It was one of those matches where you try your best each point.”
It had been an encouraging week for Osaka, who was playing her first tournament under new coach Patrick Mouratoglou, and she was the better player for most of the two sets in a much-anticipated fifth meeting between two of the WTA Tour’s biggest stars – and a first since 2022.
Gauff had just levelled at one-set all when Osaka, who received medical treatment early in the contest, shook hands and called it a day.
Badosa routs Pegula to reach quarter-finals
Paula Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games, including eight in a row to finish the match, in a shock 6-4 6-0 victory against US Open finalist Jessica Pegula to reach her eighth career quarter-final at a WTA 1000-level event.
From 3-1 down in the opening set, former world No 2 Badosa dominated in her first win over third-ranked Pegula.
“She’s one of the players I never want to face – she’s very solid, hits very flat, changes very well direction,” said Badosa, who was 0-3 previously against Pegula. “I prepared myself for a battle, but I think everything worked pretty well.
“Every point was very important for me, especially against Jessica, because she can come back at any moment.”
Badosa next faces 35-year-old Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai, who continued her resurgence with a 6-4 6-2 win over Magdalena Frech of Poland.
Zhang has won four straight matches after losing 24 in a row and is now into her first quarter-final since Tokyo in 2022.
“In this draw, everyone has a higher ranking than me,” Zhang said. “Just step on court, just play. So I do not have much to think about, to prepare. I will just focus on myself.”
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in October?
- Shanghai Masters – ATP 1000 (October 2-13)
- Wuhan Open – WTA 1000 (October 6-12 – Emma Raducanu in qualifying action)
- Almaty Open, Kazakhstan – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Stockholm Open, Sweden – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- European Open, Antwerp – ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Japan Open, Osaka – WTA 250 (October 14-20)
- Ningbo Open, China – WTA 500 (October 14-20)
- Erste Bank Open, Vienna – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Swiss Indoors, Basel – ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Guangzhou Open, China – WTA 250 (October 21-27)
- Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, Tokyo – WTA 500 (October 21-27)
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.