Naomi Osaka is playing in her fifth tournament since returning to the Tour and in three of them she has faced the same player.
The former world No.1 sealed her place in the third round of the Miami Open with a solid 6-2, 7-6(5), win over 15h seed Elina Svitolina. It is only the second time this season that she has beaten a top 20 player on the Tour. Her first was against Liudmila Samsonova earlier this month in Indian Wells.
Osaka’s reward for her victory over Svitolina is a clash against France’s Caroline Garcia. A player whom she is getting to know very well on the Tour.
“Wim (Osaka’s coach) told me and I thought he was joking, but he was not joking.” She told reporters about her reaction to finding out who she plays next.
It will be the third time in as many months that Osaka has played Garcia. They locked horns in the first round of the Australian Open where the Frenchwoman came out on top in two tightly contested sets. Then in Doha, Osaka avenged that defeat with a 7-5, 6-4, triumph.
“Man, we’re friends at this point. We’re just work buddies,” four-time major winner Osaka commented.
“We see each other all the time. It’s funny. I just want to be seeded so I can just stop playing her.’
“She’s an amazing player. I know this. Every match we play is really difficult. It’s just going to be interesting playing on these courts because I really like these hard courts.”
Garcia will likely be the fresher of the two heading into their latest meeting. Seeded 23rd, she received a bye in the first round. Then in the second round, she stormed to a 6-1, 5-2, lead over Viktoriya Tomova before the Bulgarian retired.
This year is Osaka’s seventh appearance in the main draw at Miami. Her best result was in 2022 when she reached the final before losing to Iga Swiatek.
