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Osaka saves match points against Muguruza to reach Open quarters
MELBOURNE, Feb 14, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Gutsy Naomi Osaka saved two match
points to outlast Garbine Muguruza in a tense comeback Sunday and reach the
Australian Open quarter-finals.
The third seed was on the verge of elimination at 3-5, 15-40 on her serve
in the third set before rattling off four points in a row.
She then twice broke the serve of the two-time Grand Slam winner Muguruza
to prevail 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 55 minutes of gripping action on an
empty Rod Laver Arena, devoid of fans for the second day because of
coronavirus restrictions.
“I felt like I was intimidated because she was playing so well,” said
Osaka, who hit 40 winners but made 36 unforced errors.
“On the stressful points, I had to play within myself.”
Japan’s Osaka will now have an all-Asian quarter-final against Taiwan
veteran Hsieh Su-wei, who upset 19th seed Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-2 in the
fourth round.
“I’m not looking forward to it, they are always long, tough matches,” said
Osaka who sports a 3-1 record over the 35-year-old, who earlier made history
by becoming the oldest player to make a last-eight debut in the Open Era.
Osaka and Muguruza, last year’s Australian Open runner-up, have five Grand
Slam titles between them but surprisingly had never met on court before.
Muguruza had been showing the form that saw her top-ranked in 2017 and she
proved a formidable challenge for Osaka, widely deemed a title favourite at
Melbourne Park.
A pumped-up Osaka went all out in an ultra-attacking start and took an
early break as Muguruza lost serve for just the second time in the
tournament.
But a series of unforced errors allowed the composed Spaniard, who nailed
86 percent of her first serves, to level the score before she took a decisive
break in the ninth game.
She again broke Osaka early in the opening game of the second with a superb
lob winner.
But the 2019 Australian Open champion Osaka settled, broke back in the
fourth game and slowly wore down Muguruza to level the match.
The see-saw contest continued in a tense decider with Osaka unable to
convert a break point in the fourth game only to subsequently drop her serve
and slam her racquet to the ground in frustration.
After saving the match points she clinched gritty victory with only a muted
celebration on an almost silent Rod Laver Arena.
Fake crowd noise had intermittently blasted courtside during the match as
organisers decided to enliven the atmosphere after fans were barred until at
least Thursday due to Melbourne’s snap, five-day lockdown.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1012 hrs