Rennae Stubbs was so impressed with Naomi Osaka at Roland Garros that she has her as the favourite to win the US Open.
The Japanese star reminded everyone of the quality she possesses after pushing Iga Swiatek to the limit in their second-round match on court Philippe-Chatrier.
The 27-year-old came within one point of ending the Pole’s winning run in Paris, but squandered the opportunity and the world number one took full advantage to seal a 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 win from what looked like an impossible position.
Though she just came up short of causing the upset of the tournament, Osaka has plenty to build on heading into the next portion of the season and beyond.
Rennae Stubbs makes bold early US Open prediction for Naomi Osaka
Osaka knew she had to play attacking tennis to stand any chance of beating Swiatek on her favourite surface and that is exactly what she did.
Her fearless and aggressive play, which she was able to produce consistently, allowed her to dominate Swiatek, a sight rarely seen.
But she failed to win the big points when it mattered most which proved to be costly as Osaka’s French Open campaign came to an end.
Following what was such an encouraging performance on her least favourite surface, Stubbs expects Osaka to be the favourite to clinch a third US Open on her favoured hard courts come late August.
“I love this quote from Naomi [on playing Swiatek on her surface]. That’s a dagger. I said after the match, Naomi Osaka, if she plays like that, is the favourite to win the US Open,” she said on the French Connection podcast.
“She looked unbelievably fit, she was moving so well on the clay and you think about how well she plays on hard courts. If she plays even remotely that well, who beats her on hard court? I’m putting her as an equal favourite at the US Open already.”
How many US Open titles has Naomi Osaka won?
Hard courts is where Osaka has produced her best tennis and it began with a run to the 2018 US Open title.
She reached the final at just 20 years old and played Serena Williams, who was searching for her seventh title at Flushing Meadows and 24th overall.
Osaka shocked the world as she overcame an irate opponent and raucous crowd to win the first of her two titles in New York.
The second came in 2020, which was a trickier road for Osaka. Four of her seven matches went to five sets, including the final where she rallied from a set down to defeat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
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