"I was watching Coco Gauff 2 months after I gave birth" - Naomi Osaka turns emotional after upsetting American to reach US Open QF

Naomi Osaka's emotions swelled after she upset World No. 3 Coco Gauff at the 2025 US Open. The result saw the former two-time champion at Flushing Meadows return to the quarterfinals of the hardcourt Major for the first time since her title-winning run in 2020.

Osaka and Gauff, both former US Open champions, locked horns on Monday, September 1. The Japanese, who has been in fine form in New York since the beginning of her campaign, registered a 6-3, 6-2, fourth-round win over the American in 64 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium. While the former No. 1 impressed with her movement and ability to stay in rallies, her 21-year-old opponent looked out of sorts, especially with her forehand.

Following the result, a clearly emotional Naomi Osaka remembered the day she desperately craved a return to playing on Arthur Ashe months after giving birth to daughter Shai. Interestingly, on the day, the Japanese had come to watch the 2023 US Open women's singles semifinal clash featuring that year's eventual champion Coco Gauff, and Karolina Muchova.

"I’m a little sensitive and I don’t want to cry but I had so much fun out here. I was in the stands 2 months after I gave birth to my daughter watching Coco.. I really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play. This is my favorite court in the world. It means so much to me to be back here," Osaka said during her post-match, on-court interview.

The Japanese went on to lay bare her gratitude for her team, saying:

"I want to say a big thank you to my team. We’ve kind of been through a lot. It hasn’t always been easy. They’ve been by my side. Thank you guys. Love you."

Naomi Osaka levels head-to-head with Coco Gauff with US Open 2025 win; sets up Karolina Muchova clash in QF

Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open (Source: Getty)

Prior to her 2025 US Open clash against Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka trailed 2-3 in the pair's head-to-head, which includes a past meeting with the American at Flushing Meadows. On that night in 2019, it was an even more chastening loss for Gauff, who at the time was only 15 while Osaka was at the peak of her powers.

Up next for the four-time Grand Slam winner in New York is a quarterfinal encounter against the crafty Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic, whose wins so far at the hardcourt Major have all come in three sets. The pair's head-to-head stands level at 2-2 heading into the battle for a place in the last four.

Last year, Muchova came out on top in straights against Naomi Osaka in their second-round meeting in New York. However, their most recent clash, in the second round of this year's Australian Open, went the Japanese's way.