It was nine days ago that Naomi Osaka made one of, if not the biggest statement of her tennis career by choosing not to play.
On court at the U.S. Open this week, Osaka consolidated pre-event favorite status by marching into the fourth round.
The 2018 Open champion’s latest win, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2 over 137th-ranked Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk on Friday afternoon, set up her first match against a fellow seed on Sunday, No. 13 Anett Kontaveit.
Osaka had a chance to close out Kostyuk in straight sets. She lost the last four points of the second-set tiebreak and flung her racket across the baseline.