Coco Gauff will continue her quest for further US Open success against Naomi Osaka in the round of 16.
Gauff won the US Open in 2023 for her maiden Grand Slam title, adding to that tally at the French Open earlier this year.
Her next opponent, former WTA number one Osaka, is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having won twice at the US Open.
The duo will now go head-to-head in the fourth round of this year’s hard-court Grand Slam, where Gauff is the third seed and Osaka is the 23rd.
Gauff loves the US Open fans, with the American favourite having played all three of her matches so far at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Coco Gauff confirms what her relationship with Naomi Osaka is like
That venue played host to the first-ever meeting between the WTA pair, in which Osaka beat Gauff in the third round of the 2019 US Open.
Asked in her latest press conference to recall that match, Gauff said: “I remember it was a tough moment for me because it was a hyped up match.
“I remember looking back at it, I guess I put way too much pressure on myself thinking I maybe had a chance in that moment to actually do something, which I definitely did, but I think it was just I felt more of expectation than I should than maybe belief. And then when I played her in Australia, that was more belief than expectation.
“Naomi and I, we aren’t like super close or anything, but we’re definitely friendly with each other and I support her from afar and all the things that she’s done on and off the court.
“If I were to play her, I’m imagining it would probably be on Ashe and at night. I’m just assuming. So it would be a cool, kind of a deja vu type of situation, but hopefully it’ll be a different result.”
Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka head-to-head before US Open rematch
Gauff was uncertain of her next US Open opponent while speaking, although it was indeed Osaka who progressed after knocking out Daria Kasatkina.
Aged 21, top seed Osaka battled to a 6-3, 6-0 win in that 2019 match against Gauff, who was just 15 at the time.
Since then, however, the younger of the two players has turned their exciting head-to-head record in her favour.
She’s won three of their five matches, including the 2020 Australian Open third round meeting that Gauff referenced.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2024 | Gauff | Beijing | Round of 16 | Hard | 3-6, 6-4, ret. |
| 2022 | Gauff | San Jose | Round of 16 | Hard | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2021 | Osaka | Cincinnati | Round of 32 | Hard | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2020 | Gauff | Australian Open | Round of 32 | Hard | 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2019 | Osaka | US Open | Round of 32 | Hard | 6-3, 6-0 |
A sixth encounter is now on the agenda, with the two high-profile names very likely to meet at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It would represent a first appearance there this year for Osaka, who has so far only played at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
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