Naomi Osaka is back in a quarter-final of a WTA 1000 tournament, and she's going to face a player she already played earlier this year in Brisbane.
Naomi Osaka didn't have to play her match at the 2024 Qatar Open on Wednesday as Lesia Tsurenko withdrew just moments before it was set to be played. That pushed her into her first quarter-final since returning to the sport earlier this year.
In the quarter-final, Osaka will play a red-hot Karolina Pliskova, who won a trophy in Cluj-Napoca last week. She continued her great play this week, winning three tough matches to find herself in the quarter-final.
She's playing amazing tennis but is probably tired by now, having played seven consecutive days on two different continents.
Head-to-head:
Osaka and Pliskova know each other pretty well, having played six times so far. Pliskova actually led the H2H in this one, having won four of the six matches they played. The most recent one happened in Brisbane earlier this year, and it was a match Osaka was inches away from winning.
Ultimately, it was Pliskova who won it, but it makes this one rather interesting. It's pretty clear that Osaka will have a decent shot at winning this match, but she'll need to play a bit cleaner than last time. Pliskova is very likely tired, so expect some struggle from her in this one.
Prediction:
The serve will be hugely important for both players because both are capable of serving well. It's been a huge part of Osaka's good play this week, and if she can bring it again, she'll severely reduce the chance of Pliskova breaking her serve.
She'll get some looks on return but she could be smart to utilize longer rallies to tire out Pliskova even more. Either way, it's an excellent spot for Osaka to secure a semi-final.
Prediction: Naomi Osaka to win in two sets.
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