Auspicious Naomi Osaka Stat Bodes Well for Remainder of Star's U.S. Open Run

Did she basically just win the title?
Osaka defeated world No. 3 Coco Gauff to advance to the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Monday.
Osaka defeated world No. 3 Coco Gauff to advance to the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Monday. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Naomi Osaka of Japan advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open on Monday with a 6-3, 6-2 win over American star Coco Gauff, but she might as well have just taken home the women's title, if an auspicious career stat is any indication.

Osaka, 27, has never lost a major when she has reached the quarterfinal, a fact that bodes extremely well for the remainder of her run. Her previous major QF appearances include the 2018 U.S. Open, the 2019 Australian Open, the 2020 U.S. Open and the 2021 Australian Open, all of which resulted in titles.

Monday's victory continues a comeback of sorts for Osaka, who has struggled to gain momentum since returning to the sport after giving birth. She gained some traction at the National Bank Open in August, but ultimately lost to 18-year-old sensation Victoria Mboko in the final, which resulted in some emotional moments both on the court and off.

All that to say—defeating Gauff is huge for Osaka, who can hopefully keep the run going when she takes on Czech pro Karolína Muchová on Tuesday.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.