Naomi Osaka's First Grand Slam Semifinal as a Mother

NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY — The defeat in the second round of the 2024 US Open Grand Slam tournament left a lasting impression on Naomi Osaka. Facing Karolina Muchova again, who had defeated her in New York last year, this time, Osaka emerged victorious.

Osaka triumphed over Muchova in the women's singles quarterfinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows, New York, on Wednesday (3/9/2025) evening local time or Thursday morning Indonesia time. The victory with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (3) avenged last year's defeat of 3-6, 6-7 (5).

After winning the first set in a closely contested match, Osaka faced a greater challenge in the subsequent set. Muchova had actually received treatment in the medical room before the second set and returned to the court with her left thigh bandaged. She had been experiencing discomfort in her leg since her match against Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round.

However, during the battle for each point, the 2023 and 2024 US Open semifinalist was highly competitive. Although she displayed expressions of pain when her body moved suddenly, Muchova did not give up. She broke Osaka's serve in the first game, although the Japanese player immediately retaliated in the following game.

A similar situation occurred in the ninth and tenth games. Muchova broke Osaka's serve to lead 5-4. However, she failed to capitalize on her serve in the next game to extend the match to three sets. Osaka played more solidly while receiving serve, allowing her to turn the pressure back on her opponent.

The second set ultimately went to a tiebreak, and Osaka's momentum did not stop as she secured seven points first. The expression on her face reflected disbelief that she had advanced to the semifinals.

In the courtroom, her mother, Tamaki Osaka, cried while being embraced by the coaching team led by Tomasz Wiktorowski. He is the former coach of Iga Swiatek, who lost to Amanda Anisimova, 4-6, 3-6, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon local time.

"It was a very difficult match. Karolina is one of the best tennis players, and every time I face her, I always struggle. Last year, she defeated me while I was wearing my best outfit. So, that is very disappointing," said Osaka, accompanied by laughter from the audience filling the stadium.

Osaka appeared at the 2024 US Open after being absent from tournaments throughout 2023 due to her pregnancy and the birth of her first child, Shai. Her consistently stylish appearance off the tennis court was brought by Osaka onto the court.

Collaboration with her sponsor, Nike, allows Osaka to wear outfits that are always different from other tennis players. At Flushing Meadows in 2024, Osaka donned a Harajuku-style outfit. As she entered the court, she wore a short jacket with a large bow on the back, paired with a tutu skirt.

Once her tulle skirt and jacket were removed, her match attire was revealed to be just as fashionable: a sleeveless dress with a ruffled skirt. A ribbon detail adorned the back waistband. Small bows also adorned the backs of her shoes.

Osaka prepared two colors, black for use during night matches and green for playing in daylight. However, Osaka could not showcase her unique outfit design for long. She only had the opportunity to wear it twice as she lost to Muchova in the second round.

Clothing is not the only factor that is regretted. Osaka was so devastated by the defeat that he said, "What is wrong with me?"

She did not expect that returning to the tournament after a 16-month absence due to childbirth would not be an easy task. Moreover, Osaka was very enthusiastic about competing again in her new role as a mother.

The owner of four Grand Slam titles was in the stands of Arthur Ashe Stadium when Cori Gauff won the 2023 US Open. Osaka, who attended two months after giving birth, has envisioned competing again at the place where Gauff secured her first Grand Slam title.

However, the journey did not meet expectations. He stated that that season ultimately became a year of learning as he was often eliminated in the early two rounds, even though he felt he had played well.

In seven Grand Slam tournaments as a mother (since early 2024), Osaka's best results have been reaching the third round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon 2025. Meanwhile, at the French Open, she was eliminated in the first round.

Osaka returns to Flushing Meadows in 2025 with a fashion statement just as stylish as the previous year, and this time she can wear it for a longer duration. She has two dresses, one in red and the other in purple, adorned with crystals on the chest and waist.

She also comes equipped with better preparation, albeit with greater sacrifices. In order to achieve good results that could boost her confidence, the 27-year-old tennis player participated in a lower-level tournament, the WTA 125 Saint Marlo, France, in early May. The WTA 125 is a tournament outside the WTA Tour structure, which includes WTA 250, 500, and 1000 events.

She was the champion in Saint Marlo, but that did not lead to immediate success. At major events on clay and grass courts, Osaka was eliminated in the first round of the French Open and the third round of Wimbledon.

Her confidence began to grow again when she was accompanied by Wiktorowski, who replaced Patrick Mouratoglou, in July. The Polish coach immediately accompanied Osaka at the WTA 1000 tournament in Canada, one of the warm-up events for the US Open. Osaka reached the final before losing to the local teenager, Victoria Mboko.

Thus, the semifinals of the 2025 US Open represent a significant achievement, although Osaka has previously attained better results, namely when she became the champion in 2018 and 2020.

"I am very grateful to be here, my first semifinal as a mother. Last year, I watched from the stands and hoped to have the opportunity to play here again. So, this feels like a dream come true. I am surprised, I am not crying right now," she said.

Osaka has a good record in Grand Slam events, having won every time she reached the quarter-finals. In addition to the US Open in 2028 and 2020, Osaka also won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.

The victory over Muchova opens up the possibility of maintaining that record. However, before eyeing the championship title, she must first face Anisimova on Thursday evening local time, whose performance has improved this year. The home player secured her first title at the WTA 1000 level from the tournament in Doha, Qatar, in February.

She made her Grand Slam final appearance for the first time against Swiatek at Wimbledon. However, Anisimova suffered the worst defeat of her career, losing 0-6, 0-6. Approximately 1.5 months after that loss, Anisimova avenged it in front of her home crowd, marking her first semifinal at the US Open.

Osaka's caution regarding Anisimova is based on another factor, namely that she has always lost in their two previous encounters, which also took place in Grand Slam events. Osaka lost in the third round of the 2022 Australian Open and in the first round of the French Open in the same year.

Anisimova will also bring a high level of confidence after defeating Swiatek. "Today, I played the match without any fear at all. With a positive mindset and effort, the results turned out to be positive," said Anisimova.

In addition to Anisimova, the host country is also represented by Jessica Pegula, who will face the defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka, in another semifinal. This match is a rematch of the 2024 US Open final, which was won by Sabalenka with a score of 7-5, 7-5.

In the men's singles, the world number one tennis player and defending champion, Jannik Sinner, was unstoppable in advancing to the semifinals. Sinner defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round.

For Auger-Aliassime, who was once coached by Toni Nadal, this marks his first semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam event since the 2021 US Open. The Canadian tennis player is part of the "NextGen" cohort alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev. However, none of them have won a Grand Slam title to date.

In addition to Sinner facing Auger-Aliassime, the men's singles semifinal, which took place on Friday, featured Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz is one of the favorites to win the men's singles title alongside Sinner, but he has lost in his last two matches against the 38-year-old Djokovic. These defeats occurred in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open. (AFP/Reuters)