By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Naomi Osaka produced a commanding performance to knock out third seed Coco Gauff 6-3 6-2 in a highly anticipated fourth round showdown between two former U.S. Open champions on Monday.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka showed flashes of her old brilliance as she took control of the match from the start, while the 2023 champion Gauff struggled with her forehand and her serve.
The result carried Osaka into the Flushing Meadows quarter-finals for the first time in five
years and she will next play either Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova or 27th seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine.
"It's really special. I look up to her a lot, the way she conducts herself is really special. To be such a role model at such a young age, I have respect for her," said Osaka, who triumphed in New York in 2018 and 2020.
Monday's showdown marked the first time that the two fan favourites met in New York since their memorable 2019 tussle when the then 15-year-old Gauff lost to Osaka.
The fans who had kept on chattering through the earlier match on Ashe fell silent as the two began their battle, with Osaka breaking Gauff from the baseline in the first game in a superb first set.
Gauff has spent many months trying to rebuild her serve and was let down by it yet again as she produced a double fault on set point, one of five across the match.
The mistakes began to pile up for the American, who handed Osaka another break point with an unforced error in the sixth game of the second set and turned helplessly to her box during the final game, telling her coaches: "Nothing's working."
The pair embraced briefly at the net after Gauff bowed out with a shot into the net on match point and Osaka smiled in a subdued celebration.
"I'm a little sensitive. I don't want to cry. I had so much fun out here," said Osaka, who has recaptured some of her best form this year with a run to the final in Montreal.
"A big thank you to my team. We've been through a lot, it hasn't been easy but they have been by my side. I love you."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, additional reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
