Osaka sets up Gauff ‘battle’ in Beijing, Sabalenka marches on

Naomi Osaka is gearing up for a “battle” after setting up a clash on Monday with Coco Gauff in the China Open last 16, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka also marched through.

Osaka defeated 60th-ranked American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 and next faces Gauff in a showdown of former US Open champions in Beijing.

World number two Sabalenka brushed aside Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th straight win and will play another American in 24th-ranked Madison Keys.

Looking ahead to the Gauff meeting, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka said: “She is obviously very athletic. For me, my strongest qualities are being aggressive and also my serve.

“So it’s definitely going to be a battle. Who wants to take control of the point first? And I think that will be me.”

Former number one Osaka is playing her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman who is best known as the former coach of Serena Williams.

The 26-year-old Japanese won four majors from 2018 to 2021: the US Open and the Australian Open, both twice.

She is also a former winner in Beijing and says she feels at home on the hard courts of the Chinese capital.

Osaka has struggled for consistency since returning to tennis in January after the birth of her daughter Shai and is ranked 73rd in the world.

Her best results after she got older were two quarterfinals.

2023 New York champion Gauff booked her place in the last 16 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Britain’s Katie Boulter.

The 20-year-old American Gauff is placed fourth.

She and Osaka have played four times before, each winning twice. Their last meeting was in San Jose in 2022, when Gauff won 6-4, 6-4.

Current US Open champion Sabalenka was error-prone in winning her opening match in Beijing against Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew in straight sets.

But the Belarusian was in top form from the start against Krueger, who is ranked 68th.

The 26-year-old believes she is not quite playing the best tennis of her career, but said: “Controlling my emotions, that’s the key”.

“Before, it felt like if I didn’t win this competition, something bad would happen. I’m going to die,” she explained.

“Nowadays I just work hard, I try to improve myself every day. Every time I’m on the field, I try to do my best. If you do your best, but you didn’t win the match, it’s okay.”

Sabalenka will have to take a break. Fourteen of her sixteen titles have come on hard courts and only Iga Swiatek has won more matches on tour this season.

The top-ranked Swiatek is not in Beijing due to “personal matters”.

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