World No. 24 Naomi Osaka is climbing the ranks, taking down No. 11 Karolína Muchová 6-4, 7-6 (7) at the 2025 US Open on Wednesday night to extend her WTA comeback run and cruise to a third career appearance in the New York Grand Slam's semifinals.
"There's been so much hard work that you guys haven't seen, but I'm just really grateful to my team, and I'm just happy to be healthy," she said afterwards.
"Last year was really, really tough for me," Osaka later told ESPN, addressing her previous stumbles. "I wished I had results, and it just kind of got into my head a lot. And this year I just, I kind of just stopped caring if I won or lost."
While the four-time Grand Slam winner continues to work her way back from the 2023 birth of her daughter, Osaka also has a notable streak on the line.
The Japanese fan favorite has never lost a Grand Slam in which she's advanced past the Round of 16, securing two US Open titles and two Australian Open trophies after making the quarterfinals in those hardcourt tournaments.
"It's been a while since I've been in this position, but I think you play the best players in the world towards the end of a Slam, and we all are hoping to achieve the same thing," the 27-year-old added after Wednesday’s victory. "So it's kind of like boxing with a tennis ball."
Osaka next faces stiff competition in the 2025 US Open semifinals, taking on No. 9 Amanda Anisimova after the US ace avenged her recent Wimbledon loss by silencing No. 2 Iga Świątek in straight sets on Wednesday.
How to watch the 2025 US Open semifinals
The 2025 US Open semifinals take over the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens on Thursday night, with defending champion No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka facing New York product No. 4 Jessica Pegula in a rematch of the 2024 US Open final at 7 PM ET.
Shortly after the first semifinal, Osaka will square off against Anisimova for the last ticket to the Grand Slam final.
Both semifinals will air live on ESPN.
The Naomi Osaka comeback tour continued on Monday, as the world No. 24 tennis star took down No. 3 Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in the pair's Round of 16 match at the 2025 US Open — booking her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2021 in the process.
"I'm a little sensitive and I don't want to cry, but honestly, I just had so much fun out here," Osaka said following the upset victory. "I was in the stands like two months after I gave birth to my daughter, watching Coco. I just really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play."
Already a two-time US Open champion, Osaka has been eyeing a deep tournament run since returning from maternity leave in January 2024 — and she managed to take advantage of Gauff's fluctuating form to achieve her goal.
"It's disappointing," Gauff said after Monday's loss. "For sure it was not the level that I wanted to bring, but it is a step in the right direction, I feel. I maybe was a little bit empty — she forced me to earn every point out there today."
Japan's four-time Grand Slam winner will next face No. 13 Karolína Muchová in a Wednesday quarterfinal, with Osaka most recently ousting the Czechia national from the 2025 Australian Open's Round of 64.
How to watch the US Open quarterfinals
The 2025 US Open quarterfinals kicked off on Tuesday, with US star and world No. 4 Jessica Pegula booking her second straight semifinals berth at the New York Slam by defeating Czechia's No. 62 Barbora Krejčíková in straight sets.
The quarterfinals will continue when defending champion No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces another Czech contender, No. 60 Markéta Vondroušová, at 7 PM ET on Tuesday.
Wednesday will cap the round, with Osaka battling Muchová and Poland's No. 2 Iga Świątek taking on No. 9 US star Amanda Anisimova in a rematch of the 2025 Wimbledon final.
Live coverage of the 2025 US Open airs across ESPN platforms.
Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka is looking like her old self this week, as the world No. 24 advanced to the 2025 New York Grand Slam's third round for the first time since 2021 with a straight-set win over the US's No. 47 Hailey Baptiste on Thursday.
"I don't make it my business to know anymore, I kind of just leave it up in the air," said the fan favorite following questions about a possible fifth Grand Slam title run. "I've trained really hard. I practiced really hard. If it happens, it happens."
After taking her lumps on the WTA Tour since returning from pregnancy in 2024, the 2025 US Open marks Osaka's first seeded entry into a major tournament since 2022 — and she appears to be embracing her competitive boost in style, complete with eye-catching outfits and a matching Labubu.
The 27-year-old Japanese national next faces No. 18 Daria Kasatkina in the pair's third career meeting, with Osaka getting the best of the Australian in both previous matchups — most recently at the 2024 Italian Open.
Should Osaka advance to Sunday's Round of 16, she could be on a collision course toward a date with No. 3 Coco Gauff, after the US star advanced past her own emotionally challenging second-round battle on Thursday.
How to watch Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open
With times still to be announced, Osaka will next battle Kasatkina during the second day of 2025 US Open third-round play on Saturday.
Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam airs across ESPN platforms.
The 2025 US Open is putting the WTA's best to the test, with some top-ranked players battling in three-set epics in the annual Grand Slam's first round.
World No. 6 Madison Keys suffered the first major upset of the tournament on Monday, committing 89 unforced errors across three hours and 10 minutes of play to fall to Mexico's No. 82 Renata Zarazúa 6-7 (10), 7-6 (3), 7-5.
No. 3 Coco Gauff also found herself locked in a three-set battle, narrowly defeating Australia's No. 79 Ajla Tomljanović 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 in her own three-hour endurance trial on Tuesday.
"This is the match that I needed," Gauff said afterwards. "I don't think it can get any more stressful than this."
Meanwhile, other top talents have seen smoother rides, with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 4 Jessica Pegula all dispatching their opponents with relative ease.
Fan favorite No. 24 Naomi Osaka also cruised through her first-round matchup against No. 106 Greet Minnen, downing the Belgian in straight sets on Tuesday to meet US star No. 47 Hailey Baptiste on Thursday's second-round court.
A dramatic finish in Wednesday's second-round play also dominated headlines, as popular US contender No. 139 Taylor Townsend — the current world No. 1 doubles player — served Latvia's No. 26 Jeļena Ostapenko a 7-5, 6-1 upset loss in singles play, with the pair's heated post-match exchange causing a stir.
"[Ostapenko] told me I have no class and no education and to see what happens when we get outside the US," Townsend relayed in her on-court interview.
How to watch the 2025 US Open
The US Open's second-round play concludes on Thursday before the third round kicks off on Friday.
Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam airs across ESPN platforms.
The 2025 US Open has officially landed in New York, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka looks to kick off her 2024 title defense when the main draw of the tennis season's final Grand Slam hits courts on Sunday.
The Queens-based tournament marks Sabalenka's last shot at winning a major title this season, with the three-time Slam victor falling in both the 2025 Australian Open and 2025 French Open finals as well as stumbling out of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in the semifinal round.
With the sport's biggest payday on the line, tennis's top talent are preparing to battle Sabalenka for both hardware and the tournament's record $5 million champion's check.
Joining the 27-year-old on this year's US Open roster are reigning Wimbledon champion No. 2 Iga Świątek, 2025 French Open winner No. 3 Coco Gauff, and home-state hero and 2024 US Open runner-up No. 4 Jessica Pegula.
With five of the WTA's Top-11 players, the US contingent is hoping the reclaim the host nation's Grand Slam trophy this year, as reigning Australian Open champ No. 6 Madison Keys, 2025 Wimbledon runner-up No. 9 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 11 Emma Navarro join Gauff and Pegula as the USA's frontrunners.
Two-time US Open winner and fan favorite No. 25 Naomi Osaka also enters the tournament as a seeded competitor for the first time since 2021, while 45-year-old icon Venus Williams will take the main-draw court for her 25th Queens Slam after headlining this year's wild card list.
How to watch the 2025 US Open
The US Open singles tournament begins on Sunday and runs through the September 6th final.
Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam will air across ESPN platforms.
The 2025 Canadian Open wrapped up with a storybook ending in Montréal, as 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko earned her first-ever WTA Tour title by defeating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in Thursday's final.
"I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament," Mboko said after battling back to take down Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. "It just proves that your dreams are closer than they [seem]."
The largely unexpected final matchup capped a 2025 Canadian Open that saw every seeded player fall, with Mboko putting together a dream run that included ousting four Grand Slam champions — Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.
Thursday saw Mboko become just the third-ever Canadian to win the event, plus the teen phenom made tennis history as only the third wild-card entrant to ever claim victory in a WTA 1000 tournament.
As for Osaka, despite falling just short of the finish line, the 2025 Canadian Open was a distinct return to form for the fan favorite, who put together her most successful tournament run in three years in Montréal this week.
Both finalists earned a significant rankings bump with their performances this week, with Osaka rising to world No. 25 while Mboko, who started the 2025 season outside the WTA's Top 350, skyrocketed to No. 24.
Having withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Open due to the near-impossible turnaround between Thursday's final in Montréal and their Saturday matches in Ohio, both Mboko and Osaka will enjoy some much-deserved rest before gearing up for the season's final Grand Slam — the 2025 US Open.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka has found her stride at the 2025 Canadian Open, with the 27-year-old fan favorite advancing to the Montréal tournament's quarterfinals as she prepares to chase a third US Open title later this month.
After parting ways with coach Patrick Mouratoglou just 10 days ago, world No. 49 Osaka will contend in her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in three years on Tuesday, when she'll face off against Ukraine's No. 13 Elina Svitolina for a spot in the semifinals.
"I think I need to pace myself and go for the mini goals, and they'll eventually turn into the big goals," the Japanese star said after topping Latvia's No. 26 Jeļena Ostapenko in the third round on Friday.
Tuesday's other quarterfinal sees US star and 2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys on the Canadian court, as the world No. 8 takes on No. 19 Clara Tauson after the Danish national upset reigning French Open champion No. 3 Iga Świątek in straight sets on Sunday.
Already punching their tickets to the semifinals are Kazakhstan's No. 12 Elena Rybakina and 18-year-old phenom No. 85 Victoria Mboko — the youngest home-grown semifinalist in Canadian Open history — who each advanced with straight-set victories on Monday.
How to watch Osaka at the Canadian Open quarterfinals
Keys and Tauson will kick off Tuesday's quarterfinals action at 6 PM ET, with Osaka clashing with Svitolina shortly afterward.
Live coverage of the 2025 Canadian Open will continue to air on the Tennis Channel.
With the US Open rapidly approaching — the WTA season's final Grand Slam — the tennis world's hardcourt titans are tuning up at the 2025 Canadian Open.
This year's tournament is in full swing up in Montréal, allowing players to hone their skills before next week's Cincinnati Open sets the tone for the annual New York City Slam.
Though stars like world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, No. 9 Jasmine Paolini, and No. 11 Emma Navarro stumbled out of contention in the tournament's first two rounds, many heavy-hitters are still in play, including all three 2025 Grand Slam winners: Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, French Open victor No. 2 Coco Gauff, and newly crowned Wimbledon champ No. 3 Iga Świątek.
Joining Gauff in punching her ticket to Saturday's Round of 16 is fellow US player No. 32 McCartney Kessler, while Keys and several others in the US contingent — No. 4 Jessica Pegula, No. 7 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 116 Caty McNally — will battle to advance from the Round of 32 on Friday.
Other fan favorites are also still in the mix, including Japan's No. 49 Naomi Osaka and the UK's No. 33 Emma Raducanu, while 18-year-old phenom No. 85 Victoria Mboko is impressing as Canada's last-standing contender in play.
Notably sitting out this week is world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, with the 2024 US Open champ prioritizing her mental and physical rest ahead of her title defense.
How to watch the 2025 Canadian Open
The 2025 Canadian Open's Round of 32 continues throughout Friday before the Round of 16 takes the Montréal court on Saturday.
Continuous live coverage of the tournament will are on the Tennis Channel.
The 2025 Wimbledon field narrowed this weekend, leaving just three Top 10 contenders still in pursuit of a first-ever London title as the annual Grand Slam rolls into its quarterfinals.
Not always known for her prowess on grass, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka reached her third-career Wimbledon quarterfinal on Sunday, taking down Belgium's No. 23 Elise Mertens in straight sets.
"Everything is possible," Sabalenka said of her Wimbledon title chances. "I am just trying to give my best and really hope for the best."
Joining Sabalenka in leading Wimbledon's quarterfinal field is No. 4 Iga Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, who made quick work of Denmark's No. 22 Clara Tauson and US star No. 10 Emma Navarro, respectively, to advance on Monday.
While several US stars crashed out in the Slam's early rounds — including No. 2 Coco Gauff — the country will still have one player featuring in the 2025 quarterfinals.
After taking the only three-set win in the 2025 tournament's Round of 16 by downing Czechia's No. 27 Linda Nosková on Sunday, world No. 12 Amanda Anisimova kept US title hopes alive by reaching her second-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal.
"I just kept telling myself to keep believing in myself," said the 23-year-old after the match.
Anisimova's victory comes as a trio of US stars — No. 8 Madison Keys, No. 54 Danielle Collins, and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste — all exited in the weekend's third round.
A few other fan favorites also went home this weekend, as England's No. 40 Emma Raducanu and Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka both suffered third-round defeats.
How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinals
With the London Slam running through Saturday's championship match, the 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinals will rule the grass courts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sabalenka will kick off the round against Germany's No. 104 Laura Siegemund at 8:30 AM ET on Tuesday, before Anisimova looks to handle No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at 9:40 AM ET.
Though start times are not yet set, Wednesday's matches will pit Andreeva against Switzerland's No. 35 Belinda Bencic while Świątek takes on No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova.
Live coverage of the Wimbledon quarterfinals will air on ESPN.
The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.
A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.
At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.
Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.
Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.
With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.
How to watch Wimbledon this weekend
While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.
Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.
Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.