Former World No.1 Naomi Osaka of Japan swept into the Round of 16 at the China Open with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Katie Volynets of the United States on Monday.
The third-round match was postponed one day due to rain, but the delay did not hinder Osaka one bit. Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka won her first meeting with World No.60 Volynets in 1 hour and 17 minutes of play.
Gauff clash confirmed: With the win, Osaka set up a marquee fourth-round showdown against No.4 seed Coco Gauff, which will take place on Tuesday. It will be the first meeting between the two Grand Slam champions in over two years.
Osaka and Gauff have evenly split their four previous meetings, alternating victories each year between 2019 and 2022. Gauff won their most recent encounter at San Jose in August 2022 by a 6-4, 6-4 scoreline.
Former champ on a roll: This is Osaka’s first Beijing appearance since she won the China Open title in 2019. The only former champion to contest this fortnight’s main draw, Osaka has an outstanding 13-2 career win-loss record at the event.
Osaka has exhibited some of her top form in her opening three rounds, dropping only one set, to No.21 seed Yulia Putintseva. This is the first time Osaka has won three straight matches since Rome in May.
Osaka, who came back from maternity leave in the first week of this season and is currently ranked World No.73, has won all seven of her WTA singles titles on hard court. She is aiming for her first title since the 2021 Australian Open.
