Third-seeded Naomi Osaka, searching for her first WTA Tour event championship in more than five years, rallied to reach the semifinals of the Mubadala DC Open on Friday with a three-set win in Washington.
The Japanese star topped Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Osaka finished with a 9-1 edge in aces as she advanced to her second semifinal of the year. Her last tournament title came at the 2021 Australian Open. She missed the entire 2023 season while on maternity leave.
Next up for Osaka is a semifinal against the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala, who upset second-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4.
The other semifinal will feature top-seeded Jessica Pegula and fourth-seeded Diana Shnaider of Russia. Pegula defeated fifth-seeded Anna Kalinskaya of Russia 6-3, 7-5, while Shnaider won an all-Russian matchup against Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-4.
The Memphis Classic
Sixteen-year-old Russian qualifier Kristina Liutova became the first player born in the 2010s to reach a WTA Tour semifinal when she upset sixth-seeded Caty McNally 6-3, 6-4 in Memphis.
Liutova, ranked 229th in the world, didn’t serve an ace but put 77% of her first serves in play. She won 67% of her first-serve points, while McNally managed just a 51% success rate on first serves.
Liutova will face another first-time semifinalist. Elvina Kalieva, ranked 132nd in the world, knocked off seventh-seeded Peyton Stearns 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
The Czech Republic’s Darja Vidmanova dumped Katie Volynets 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1, setting up a semifinal matchup against Renata Zarazua. The Mexican blitzed Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova 6-4, 6-0.
–Field Level Media
