naomi osaka
Naomi Osaka saved multiple match points to grit out a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win and advance to the Australian Open quarterfinal.
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  • Naomi Osaka came back to win her fourth-round Australian Open match against Garbiñe Muguruza.
  • While behind in the third set, the 23-year-old threw her racquet to the floor in frustration.
  • Osaka saved multiple match points to take the 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win and advance to the quarterfinal.
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For a few moments, it looked as if Naomi Osaka would suffer her first loss in more than a year during her thrilling fourth-round match at the 2021 Australian Open. Instead, she extended her winning streak to 18 matches.

naomi osaka
Naomi Osaka.
BRANDON MALONE/AFP via Getty Images

The three-time Grand Slam champion took down world No. 14 Garbiñe Muguruza in an impressive come-from-behind victory. The surging Spaniard pushed Osaka to three sets and had multiple match points in hand, but the 23-year-old came back from the brink in a gritty performance.

But the 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win didn’t come without its moments of frustration. Osaka suffered many unforced errors throughout the match. But when Muguruza broke Osaka’s serve at 2-2 in the final set, the Japanese superstar threw her racquet to the floor in apparent frustration. 

Though Osaka dropped three more games in the set, she regained her composure and fired off wins in the final four games to secure her spot in the quarterfinals.

Now, the 2019 tournament champion is set to face Hsieh Su-wei – who becomes the oldest first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist in the Open Era – in a battle for a spot in the semis. And though Hsieh has tons of momentum on her side, Osaka has a history of finding her way to the podium once she reaches the final eight players remaining in a Grand Slam.

 

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