Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka are set to continue their rivalry at the China Open.
The WTA stars are in fine form going into their last 16 contest.
Osaka is on a nine-match winning run in Beijing, while Gauff is yet to drop a set after seemingly putting this year’s inconsistent form behind her.
With the head-to-head record standing at 2-2, there is plenty on the line for two women hoping to go down as tennis greats when they hang up their rackets.
Their rivalry could continue for years to come – and the first time they met in 2019 set the tone for what may go down as a historic back and forth.
Gauff burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old, stunning Venus Williams in the first round at Wimbledon – her first ever Grand Slam match – and making it all the way to the last 16 before losing to Simona Halep.
She then won two three-set thrillers on home soil at the US Open to set up a blockbuster clash with defending champion Osaka – herself only 21 years old at the time, but also a two-time major champion.
The 24,000-strong crowd was desperate for Gauff to upset the world No. 1, but Osaka took just 66 minutes to triumph 6-3, 6-0.
It was all too much for the teenage sensation, who was pictured in floods of tears as Osaka tried to console her.
“I was crying. She was crying. Everybody was crying,’’ Gauff said.
“She was crying and she won. I was like, ‘You won the match.’”
Even after a comprehensive victory, Osaka knew she had seen something special on the opposite side of the net.
“Because we’re so young, I feel of course we’re going to play multiple times in the future,” the four-time Grand Slam champ said.
“I’m not necessarily looking forward to that. But it will be fun for you guys to watch.’’
A year previously, Osaka’s US Open triumph had been overshadowed by Serena Williams arguing with chair umpire Carlos Ramos after being beaten in the final.
She left the court following her maiden Slam triumph to a chorus of boos aimed at the official.
But Osaka was happy to put her victory to one side and urged Gauff to soak up the love of the crowd before heading to the locker room.
“I can’t. I’m going to cry,’’ Gauff told her.
“It’s better than crying in the shower,” Osaka responded.
“I just thought about what I wanted her to feel leaving the court,’’ Osaka revealed later.
“I wanted her to leave with her head high, not feeling sad.’’
“I didn’t want to take this moment away from her,” Gauff added.
“I definitely wanted to leave the court because I’m not the kind of person who wants to cry in front of everyone.”
Osaka’s emotions almost got the better of her before the match begun after seeing Gauff hug dad Corey.
“It was like she was hugging her dad goodbye,’’ she said.
“I was like, ‘Oh God, don’t do this to me before the match.’ I had to put my game face on.”
Gauff had plenty of kind words for Osaka after her defeat.
“She just proved to me that she’s a true athlete,” the rising star revealed.
“To me, that means someone who on the court treats you like their worst enemy but off the court can be your best friend. I think that’s what she did tonight.”
“I don’t really know her very well, but she seems like a sweetheart,” added Osaka.
Returning to 2024, 26-year-old Osaka looks like she is hitting her stride after taking a break from tennis to welcome daughter Shai to the world last year.
She is inside the WTA top 60 for the first time since, but faces a tough test against 20-year-old Gauff, who recently split from legendary coach Brad Gilbert a year after lifting her the US Open for the first time.
Osaka knows she is in for a battle but won’t back down – just like she didn’t five years ago.
“She’s very athletic obviously. For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve,” she said.
“So it’s definitely going to be a battle – who wants to take control of the point first? And I think it’s going to be me.”
❤️🎾@Naomi_Osaka_ | @CocoGauff#USOpen pic.twitter.com/ouVQenQki6
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2019
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