Osaka set to battle against Andreescu in the ‘s-Hertogenbosch quarterfinal.
Naomi Osaka had some selected words for Bianca Andreescu ahead of their ‘s-Hertogenbosch match, calling the Canadian “a great player” and highlighting that she expects “a very difficult match.”
On Friday, fans in ‘s-Hertogenbosch will have a chance to watch a showdown between two Grand Slam champions when Osaka and Andreescu meet for the second time in their careers. In their first and lone meeting that came in 2019, Osaka and Andreescu played a tight match before the Japanese former world No. 1 completed a 5-7 6-3 6-4 win to end the Canadian’s run of 17 consecutive wins at the time.
When Osaka and Andreescu played the last time, both were already Slam champions. But the last couple of seasons weren’t easy for them as both Osaka and Andreescu took breaks from tennis to address mental health and there were also injury issues on both sides.
Osaka full of praise for Andreescu
“I remember (their 2019 Beijing meeting) and I know this for a fact, that she’s a great player. It feels really cool that we’re playing again this year. I know we’re both trying to come back and we’re almost kind of back, so this is really fun,” Osaka said of facing Andreescu, via the WTA website.
“I anticipate a really difficult match. She’s a player, to me, who’s really fun to play against because she can change anything in the match, like her play style or where she stands.”
While Andreescu is a tricky matchup and a difficult opponent, Osaka is embracing the challenges as she wants more matches like these.
“I definitely think matches like that help my growth a lot. It’s really weird because I reflect on the Iga match and, for me, it’s kind of crazy because I’m not sure I knew that I could play at that level. I always felt like it was in me, but I guess I needed that specific occasion to bring it out,” Osaka explained.
“So yeah, matches like these against Bianca are what I love, what I train for, and hopefully it makes everyone else as excited.”
If Osaka beats Andreescu, she will make just her second grass semifinal.
