Naomi Osaka put all the extra attention to the back of her mind and focused on her day job to beat Elise Mertens 6-2 7-6(5) in their re-arranged semi-final.
The Japanese player, 22, has been in great form at the Western & Southern Open this week. So she was understandably keen to maintain that momentum.
“I think I’m in a good spot right now,” Osaka said in her press conference. “I practiced this morning and I thought that I was playing really well. Of course, it’s very different from practice to matches, because during matches you get nervous. There is way more on the line.”
“I would definitely say I’m playing very well right now, and I think I’m putting myself in a good position for the finals and hopefully for the US Open. Of course, I’m never sure what will happen, but, yeah, the “me” right now is really fit and is mentally sound enough to do damage.”
Osaka overcomes serving issues to gain important win
Osaka came out firing in the opening set of the semi-final. She broke Mertens in the second game and survived three break points to move into a 3-0 lead. Although the set then ended in peculiar fashion with three consecutive breaks, it had little effect on the outcome as the Japanese player claimed it 6-2.
The second set was a turbulent battle throughout. Osaka broke once but the Belgian broke her twice to lead 4-2. The two-time Grand Slam Champion then fought back to level the score at 4-4.
However, the Japanese player could hardly have come any closer to dropping serve again in game nine. Her serving rhythm deserted her and she had to save a remarkable eight break points to earn an epic hold.
That proved to be the crucial moment, as Osaka won three points in a row from 5-4 down in the tie-break to seize victory and with it a place in the final.
“Honestly, I could not find my serve for the life of me today,” the Japanese said in her press conference with a smile on her face. “So it didn’t really help me out that much, that game. But I would say that I felt there were moments where I got really desperate, and I feel like when I get desperate, I start making terrible decisions.”
“So I had to block that out, and I think that me being aware of that is a step in the right direction. I also feel that I’m really glad that I’m playing this tournament right now, because just having these match plays and being able to figure things out on the court is going to be really helpful.”
Japanese star relishes final clash with Azarenka
Osaka is excited to take on Victoria Azarenka in the final after the Belarussian overcame Johanna Konta in a tense three-set encounter.
She said, “It’s really cool to be able to play Vika now, because I played her in the French last year, but I know that probably her best surface is hard court and also my best surface is hard court, so I think it will definitely be a really fun match.”
