Naomi Osaka has made the quarterfinals of the US Open for the first time in five years, after knocking out third seed Coco Gauff.
Osaka beat Gauff convincingly, emerging victorious in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, to book her place in the last eight.
The Japanese star, who has dropped just one set at the tournament so far, is back to her very best under the wing of her new coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski.
With just three wins now separating the 27-year-old and a fifth Grand Slam title, former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli gave her verdict on whether she can go all the way in New York.
Marion Bartoli says Naomi Osaka is ‘back’ after her win against Coco Gauff
Giving her analysis on Sky Sports, after Osaka’s impressive triumph, Bartoli said of the 23rd seed: “She is absolutely back.
“She was a wildcard [to win the title] from Naomi Cavaday, and I think she is on the point.
“When you look at the performance today it was incredible from the word go. She was so dominant from the back of the court. Really making the whole play, we saw Coco not doing much with her forehand.
“We can always criticise Coco for not playing her best tennis, but it’s more fair to praise how great Naomi was because for me to come back and put this kind of performance on Ashe for the first time at this event was absolutely outstanding.”
Martina Navratilova says Naomi Osaka ‘never looked nervous’ against Coco Gauff
Former world number one Martina Navratilova added: “This was hard to see for Gauff.
“She gave it everything she had, but just definitely wasn’t good enough on the day. Big learning experience.
“But what a performance from Naomi Osaka, never faltered, never looked nervous. She’s given herself a timeline, but she didn’t tell us what it is to make the comeback or quit. I think it’s safe to say she’s back.”
Osaka is now the second player in the Open Era to reach her first five Grand Slam quarterfinals on hard-court, following Flavia Pennetta.
She is a specialist on the surface and is more than capable of capturing the US Open title once again.
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