'Hopefully to win a tournament....' - Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka sets major goal for Grass Season

Tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu are all set to face off in the quarterfinals of the Libema Open 2024 in the Netherlands. Speaking about the recent clash here, Andreescu defeated No. 6 seed Yue Yuan of China 6-4, 6-4, whereas Osaka defeated Dutch star Suzan Lamens 6-2, 6-2 to make it to the quarterfinals of the game in 2018.

Speaking about the game here, Osaka has just fifty-four minutes to get to her first grass-court semifinal since 2018. Notably, Andreescu defeated Yuan by securing five of six break points and battling through a rain delay in 1 hour, and 21 minutes of play. On the other hand, Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck fell to Russian No. 2 seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-3.

In addition, No. 5 Veronika Kudermetova upset China's Zhuoxuan Bai 7-5, 6-1, and Donna Vekic of Croatia thrashed Zhuoxuan Bai 6-1, 0-6, 7-5. The two players found it challenging to adjust to the strong winds, as the opening set was served until the sixth game. Following the same, Osaka took charge, destroying the Dutchwoman's service with a string of strong drives off both wings, bolstered by a few reckless errors from Lamens.

I feel more calm with the plan I have and just really grateful to be back: Naomi Osaka

However, Osaka won the first set 6-2, considering further mistakes made by Lamens in his following serve game. The Japanese-born star showed herself to be too strong for her rival early in the second match as well, dominating her first service game and quickly creating a 3-0 lead.

“I definitely do feel more relaxed. I feel more calm with the plan I have and just really grateful to be back. I don’t want to rate it. I just say I felt more comfortable today than the day before. Hopefully, with every match and practice, I’ll continue to get better. Hopefully to win a tournament. That’s a long-term project. I just hope I continue to play well and be healthy," Osaka said.