Emma Raducanu brought Naomi Osaka’s Washington Open campaign to an end with a performance full of confidence.
Raducanu, enjoying her best form in some time, has looked sharp since crossing over from Wimbledon to the US hard courts and is now putting together a strong run on both sides of the draw.
Her timing couldn’t be better, with the summer swing in full flow and eyes already turning towards Flushing Meadows later in August.
For Osaka, though, this was another frustrating defeat by a player she might have expected to beat.
In the aftermath, she was even asked whether it was worth facing Raducanu again anytime soon.
Naomi Osaka shares thoughts on Emma Raducanu after defeat at Washington Open
After the loss, Osaka took time to break down her performance and also spoke about what impressed her about Raducanu’s game.
Starting with her own play, she mentioned: “I think honestly I have been working on my return a lot, and ironically I don’t think it was that bad today. I think she served quite well. I guess just keep working on that, working on my serve. I know it’s one of my biggest weapons.
“Today the percentages were off, so hopefully improving that. Then I guess just baseline tennis. I feel like from the baseline, like, I was doing pretty well. I think there are certain situations where she got one more ball back and I was kind of just looking and waiting. So kind of getting more accustomed to being comfortable being aggressive.
When asked how facing Raducanu compared to watching her previously, Osaka said: “Oh. So when I say I watched her, it might not have necessarily been her tennis. Might have been like interviews and stuff like that.
“Yeah, I mean, I watched her in Wimbledon, but I think it is different playing someone in real life than playing them or seeing them on TV.
“So I think for me, honestly, it was really good to get the experience, to feel how her ball is. Yeah, hopefully we meet again.”
Naomi Osaka comments on her relationship with fellow players
Osaka didn’t just talk about the match itself – she also shared how she’s been interacting with other players off the court.
For example, the Japanese star was asked if she’d like to get to know Raducanu or other players better, to which she replied: “I mean, yes, but I don’t know.
“I don’t know if I’m, like, I look scary or something, but I have been saying hi to everyone for the past year and a half since I have been back, and I think they still think I’m kind of like extremely introverted and/or have RBF. So we haven’t really, like, proceeded past the ‘Hi, how are you doing’ phase.”
Osaka admitted she felt confused after her defeat to Raducanu, having played much better than the scoreline suggested.
It’s Raducanu who moves forward into the quarter-finals while Osaka once again finds herself reflecting on what comes next.
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