Naomi Osaka is here and not going anywhere anytime soon.
In the Miami Open semifinals, the unseeded Osaka defeated no.22 and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Gold medalist Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
She is in a final championship match for the first time since the 2021 Australian Open.
Bencic pulled ahead 4-1 in the opening set; Osaka established dominance in the second set with a 4-2 lead and never looked back.
“In the second set, I told myself if she beats you, someone is going to have to carry you off the tennis court with a stretcher,” Osaka said. Because you are going to fight for everything.”
Ranked 77th coming into Miami, Osaka will crack the top 40 once it is over.
On the men’s side, defending champion Hubert Hurkacz ended Danil Menvedev’s return to world no.1, upsetting him 7-6, 6-3.
Photo/RomanGaray/WORLDWIDEWEST
