Fourth seed Naomi Osaka has reached the US Open semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over unseeded American Shelby Rogers on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 2018 champion fired 24 winners while only committing eight unforced errors to record her first win in four career meetings against the 93rd-ranked American.
Rogers, playing in her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal after knocking off sixth seed Petra Kvitova in the previous round, was undone by 27 unforced errors and had her serve broken broken three times by the two0time major champion in the 79-minute contest.
Osaka gets through Rogers test to advance to second US Open semifinal
It was important for Rogers to keep pace with Osaka early to show the fourth seed that she could be competitive with her and the pair exchanged holds to 30. In the American's next service game, she was taken to deuce, but some strong serving pulled her through the game to hold and even the score at 2-2.
After a love hold by Osaka, the 2018 champion broke on her second chance in the next game when the American flew a backhand over the baseline. Rogers stayed tough and broke right back, but the fourth seed asserted herself and broke to love with a crosscourt forehand winner to go in front 5-3.
Now serving for the set, Osaka found herself at 30-30, but got through the danger with some big hitting off of the ground to go up a set. The beginning of the second set was a repeat of the first set with each woman holding to 30. It was the third game that would prove to be decisive.
Facing a pair of break points, she saved the first when the fourth seed missed on a backhand, but couldn't handle an Osaka forehand on the second and the Japanese went up 2-1. A love hold consolidated her lead to make it 3-1. Rogers was keeping the pressure on with tough holds to stay in touch at 4-3.
Osaka would finish strong, a love hold making it 5-3 and after the American again reduced the deficit to a single game, the fourth seed served for the match. An ace brought her to triple match point and after some good defensive work, a forehand into the net by Rogers sealed the 2018 champion's progression into the last four.