Osaka defeats Muchova and returns to the Grand Slam semifinals for the first time since 2021

After the qualifications of Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, and Amanda Anisimova, the women's draw was waiting to learn the identity of the fourth and final player to qualify for the semifinals of the 2025 US Open. It was going to be either Naomi Osaka or Karolina Muchova. Both players are rediscovering their form after a difficult start to the season.

The Japanese player, a finalist at the WTA 1000 in Montreal against Victoria Mboko, is back to an excellent level after raising many questions since her return from pregnancy. On the other side, Muchova, who was injured in the wrist in recent months, has regained all her feel but struggled to reach this quarterfinal stage.

The Czech player, ranked 13th in the world, had indeed lost a set in each of her first four rounds against Venus Williams (6-3, 2-6, 6-1), Sorana Cirstea (7-6, 6-7, 6-4), Linda Noskova (6-7, 6-4, 6-2), and Marta Kostyuk (6-3, 6-7, 6-3).

In a tight match, the 29-year-old player gave her opponent of the day a hard time, facing her for the 5th time on the main tour (the head-to-head was 2-2 before the evening match in New York).

Riding the momentum of her very good North American tour, Osaka, who ended her collaboration with Patrick Mouratoglou to work with Tomasz Wiktorowski (the former coach of Iga Swiatek) in recent weeks, is confident and has confirmed her successes against Minnen, Baptiste, Kasatkina, and Gauff since the start of the tournament.

In 1 hour and 48 minutes, Osaka wins in two sets (6-4, 7-6) and qualifies for the fifth time in her career for the semifinals of a Grand Slam. In the previous four instances, the former world number one, who will return to the top 15 at the end of the tournament pending her semifinal, went on to win the title.

The last time she reached this stage of a Major competition was at the 2021 Australian Open. More broadly, Osaka has never lost in a Grand Slam after reaching the quarterfinals.

She will now face Amanda Anisimova, whom she has never beaten in their two previous encounters, for a spot in the final, which would be her third in New York after her previous titles in 2018 and 2020.