Thus far, so good for Naomi Osaka and her new coach

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, reacts after scoring some extent towards Hailey Baptiste, of the US, throughout the second spherical of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Picture/Yuki Iwamura)

NEW YORK— Naomi Osaka is again within the third spherical of the U.S. Open for the primary time since 2021, the 12 months after she gained her second championship at Flushing Meadows.

She’s enjoying moderately nicely in the intervening time, too, underneath the steerage of a brand new coach. Simply don’t count on Osaka to weigh in on whether or not she feels as if she is able to make one other deep run on the place.

READ: Naomi Osaka out to recapture sparkle at US Open

“Actually, I don’t actually know. I don’t make it my enterprise to know anymore. I type of simply go away it up within the air,” the Twenty third-seeded Osaka mentioned after eliminating Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-1 within the second spherical in simply 70 minutes Thursday. “For me, I notice that I’ve finished all the pieces that I may. I’ve skilled actually onerous. I practiced actually onerous. If it occurs, it occurs.”

Osaka’s 4 Grand Slam trophies all arrived on onerous courts: two on the U.S. Open, two on the Australian Open. Since her 2020 title in New York, her journeys there have gone this fashion: losses within the third spherical in 2021, first spherical in 2022, second spherical final 12 months.

The floor tends to favor the large serves and highly effective, first-strike tennis Osaka is greatest identified for, and one thing she displayed towards Baptiste, after all, though she additionally demonstrated a willingness to differ speeds and spins.

The opposite expertise Osaka is utilizing to nice impact thus far this week is returning that will get an opponent on the defensive. Osaka already has gained 11 of the 18 return video games she’s performed thus far, together with throughout a 6-3, 6-4 win over Greet Minnen within the first spherical.

After her third-round exit at Wimbledon final month, Osaka cut up from coach Patrick Mouratoglou and started working with Tomasz Wiktorowski, who was a part of Iga Swiatek’s group.

One key, Osaka mentioned: Wiktorowski has inspired her to focus extra on the position of her pictures “and never essentially going for winners more often than not.”

They look like making fast progress — and Osaka mentioned her impression of him modified shortly.

“Actually, I didn’t know him, I believed he was very scary, as a result of he’s very tall and he didn’t smile,” she mentioned. “Now that we’re working collectively, I see that he smiles usually. He has a really pleasant smile, and it’s very good. That’s my little enjoyable truth about Tomasz.”