Tennis: Former No. 1 Osaka reaches first grass-court quarterfinal in two years

Naomi Osaka showcased her resilience against the heat, defeating Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 grass-court tournament in Bad Homburg, Germany. This marks her first quarterfinal appearance on the professional tour this season and her first on grass since the 2024 S-Hertogenbosch tournament.

"It's really interesting to learn one match at a time," Osaka commented on her progress. "In the last match, my serve in the first set was off, but this time I tried to maintain a stable mindset."

“

It's really interesting to learn one match at a time. In the last match, my serve in the first set was off, but this time I tried to maintain a stable mindset.

The tournament serves as a warm-up for the Wimbledon Championships at the end of June. Osaka, who is not typically known for her grass-court prowess, raced to a 5-0 lead before Mertens fought back. However, Osaka regained control to secure the victory in 67 minutes. She expressed her comfort with the heat, stating, "I'm heat-tolerant, I really like hot weather, I even prefer it. It was very hot in Paris a few weeks ago, which I enjoyed a lot, so I hope it's a bit hotter here too."

Osaka, a mother of four Grand Slam titles all on hard courts (Australian and US Opens), is seeking a comeback. She is set to face the winner of the "Russian civil war" match between French Open champion Mirra Andreeva and veteran Ekaterina Alexandrova. With a heatwave expected in Europe, temperatures could reach 34 degrees Celsius.

“

I'm heat-tolerant, I really like hot weather, I even prefer it. It was very hot in Paris a few weeks ago, which I enjoyed a lot, so I hope it's a bit hotter here too.