Naomi Osaka defeated KarolĂna Muchová 4-6, 6(3)-7(7) and reached a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time since 2021, when she last won Australian Open. It's also her first Grand Slam semi-final since becoming a mom, when she gave birth to her daughter Shai in 2023. After a year out of the WTA circuit, Osaka had to take part in tournaments unseeded.
This US Open was the first seeded tournament for her (seeded 23 as she climbed to reach World No. 24), and we have seen the most dominant Osaka in year (she also reached the Canadian Open final in July). This summer has surely left her more relieved, as she admitted after the match that she felt that "there was something wrong with here" or that she was not doing good enough as she saw other players return to tennis after their pregnancies and did better than her.
"I know that Belinda [Bencic] made the semis of Wimbledon, so I just really felt like I was losing a race in some sort of weird way. So yeah, that was on my mind, but now I'm here and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
This wins also means that Osaka has won all five of her Grand Slam quarter-finals. She will face Amanda Anisimova on Friday at 2:10, 1:10. One hour earlier, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula will fight for the other ticket to the US Open final on Saturday.