At this year’s Qatar TotalEnergies Open, Naomi Osaka has made a remarkable comeback, securing consecutive victories in her matches.
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka has qualified for the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2024 quarterfinals.
In the race to the semifinals, Osaka will face Czechia’s Karolína Plíšková on Thursday at the Center Court of the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
Also in the competition for the number one spot is the reigning champion, Poland’s Iga Świątek, who won the Qatar TotalEnergies tournaments in 2023 and 2022.
Osaka’s advancement to the quarterfinals was expedited when her would-be round-of-16 opponent, world number 37, Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, withdrew from the tournament due to an elbow injury.
This situation, known as a walkover in tennis, means a player automatically advances to the next round if their opponent is ill, injured or penalised.
It is considered a win or loss since no match took place, leaving each player’s record unchanged.
Back-to-back wins
Osaka’s performance at the Qatar TotalEnergies tournament has been impressive.
On Tuesday, she beat Croatia’s Petra Martić 6-3 in set one and set two 7-6(9).
Before that, on Monday, the 26-year-old won against world 21 player, France’s Caroline Garcia. Osake secured a 7-5 advantage in set one, then 6-4 in set two in the one-hour and 28-minute-long game.
In January, Osaka struggled to find her rhythm in a match against Garcia. Reflecting on that encounter, Osaka now said she felt she’s“a much better player now.”
“I think in Australia, my returns weren’t as good, and I don’t feel like I was as focused as I am now,” she added. “I think that definitely made a difference, especially against such a good server like she is.”
This resurgence in form comes after a 15-month hiatus from tennis.
On January 11, 2023, the tennis star announced on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, her break from the world of sport due to pregnancy.
This announcement followed the news from the Australia Open organisers on January 8, stating that she had withdrawn from the tournament.
