Daily Times

Naomi Osaka is braced for a “battle” after setting up a clash Monday with Coco Gauff in the China Open last 16 while top seed Aryna Sabalenka also marched on.

Osaka defeated 60th-ranked American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 and next faces Gauff in a showdown of former US Open champions in Beijing.

World number two Sabalenka swatted aside Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th victory in a row and plays another American in 24th-ranked Madison Keys.

Looking ahead to the Gauff meeting, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka said: “She’s very athletic obviously. For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve.

“So it’s definitely going to be a battle — who wants to take control of the point first? And I think it’s going to be me.”

Former number one Osaka is playing her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known for being the long-time former coach of Serena Williams.

The 26-year-old Japanese won four majors from 2018 to 2021 — the US Open and Australian Open, both twice.

She is also a former winner in Beijing and has said she feels at home on the hard courts of the Chinese capital.

Osaka has struggled for consistency since returning to tennis in January after the birth of her daughter Shai and is ranked 73rd in the world.

Her best results after becoming a parent have been two quarter-final appearances.

The 2023 New York champion Gauff booked her place in the last 16 with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Britain’s Katie Boulter.

The 20-year-old American Gauff is seeded fourth.

She and Osaka have played four times previously, each winning twice. Their last meeting was in 2022 at San Jose when Gauff prevailed 6-4, 6-4.