Naomi Osaka is braced for a “battle” after organising a conflict Monday with Coco Gauff in the China Open final 16 whereas high seed Aryna Sabalenka additionally marched on.
Osaka defeated Sixtieth-ranked American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 and subsequent faces Gauff in a showdown of former US Open champions in Beijing.
World quantity two Sabalenka swatted apart Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th victory in a row and performs one other American in Twenty fourth-ranked Madison Keys.
Looking forward to the Gauff assembly, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka stated: “She's very athletic obviously. For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve.
“So it is positively going to be a battle — who needs to take management of the purpose first? And I feel it is going to be me.”
Former number one Osaka is playing her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known for being the long-time former coach of Serena Williams.
The 26-year-old Japanese won four majors from 2018 to 2021 — the US Open and Australian Open, both twice.
She is also a former winner in Beijing and has said 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 becoming a parent have been two quarter-final appearances.
The 2023 New York champion Gauff booked her place in the last 16 with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Britain's Katie Boulter.
The 20-year-old American Gauff is seeded fourth.
She and Osaka have played four times previously, each winning twice. Their last meeting was in 2022 at San Jose when Gauff prevailed 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 on top form from the start against 68th-ranked Krueger.
The 26-year-old feels she is not quite playing the best tennis of her career, but said, “Control over my feelings, that is the important thing”.
“Before it felt like if I'm not going to win this match, one thing unhealthy goes to occur. I'm going to die,” she explained.
“Nowadays I'm simply working arduous, I'm attempting to enhance myself each day. Every time I'm on the court docket, I'm attempting to offer my greatest. If you give your greatest however you did not win the match, it is okay.”
Sabalenka will take some stopping. Fourteen of her 16 titles have come on hard courts and only Iga Swiatek has won more matches on tour this season.
Top-ranked Swiatek is not in Beijing because of “private issues”.
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