Tears of joy this time: Naomi Osaka has qualified for the final of the Miami Open, where she will try to act against the irresistible Iga Swiatek, future world No.1, her return to the fore after a year of great psychological turbulence.
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For the @MiamiOpen title ??
Are you ???? Team @naomiosaka or ???? Team @iga_swiatek?#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/lrKP20lc7V
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) April 1, 2022
The 24-year-old Japanese, down to 77th after being at the top of the WTA rankings, seems to see the end of the tunnel.
She showed mental strength to overthrow 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 the Swiss Belinda Bencic (28th). But for her first final in Florida, she will have to overcome any sense of accomplishment before the hour, as much as the emotion, which briefly invaded her after congratulating her opponent, to whom she paid tribute.
“I didn’t feel like I understood his game at all and yet I managed to win. She’s an extraordinary player. I would like to have him back. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone. The atmosphere was really good”she said, her eyes misty.
“Damn, I’m still crying!” But this tournament means a lot to me.”, she added with a smile that obviously contrasted with her tears of two weeks ago, in Indian Wells. The Japanese experienced a third tear episode there, during and after her elimination in the second round, after a verbal provocation from the stands (“Naomi you suck!”).
Clenched fist
The question then arose again of her future in professional tennis, for the one who had confided, at the time of Roland-Garros last June, to be plagued by anxiety for several years.
Since then, several moments of distress have occurred. First at the Cincinnati tournament in August, then the following month at the US Open, at a press conference, after her surprise elimination in the third round against the Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
She then took a break and only returned to competition in January at the Australian Open. Defending champion, she was released in the third round.
Two weeks ago, Osaka started working with a therapist and she said she felt the first benefits of this approach.
This was seen in Miami, since she won her first four matches without losing the slightest set and even less her means, auguring the return of the formidable champion that she was, quadruple winner in Grand Slams (two Open d Australia, two US Open).
This time, she had to concede a set, the first, overwhelmed by the aggressiveness of Bencic, excellent in backhand and who knows how to go about beating her, since she had won three of their first four confrontations.
But Osaka has shown that she knows how to react in the face of adversity again. Relying on her powerful serve (18 aces), she regained the upper hand to equalize with one set everywhere, displaying great determination, often clenching her fists and hopping between exchanges to better move forward.
“Need to assert myself”
“At this point, I need to assert myself. Faced with such strong players, I must not let myself be defeated. If I had that negative feeling, it could have cost me the win.”she explained.
Osaka continued in the third set, stealing twice the service of the Swiss, who still came back to 5-4. Not even afraid: the Japanese was able to conclude without trembling.
Iga Swiatek showed the same confidence to dismiss the American Jessica Pegula (21st) 6-2, 7-5. The 16th victory in a row for the Polewho will officially reach the top of the WTA rankings on Monday thanks to the retirement of Australian Ashleigh Barty.
Dominating unchallenged in the first set, Swiatek did not leave room for doubt in the second, when the American took her serve three times to lead 3-1 then 4-2 and equalize at 5-5, in erasing two match points.
The Polish did not allow herself to be overwhelmed by frustration. Sure of her tennis, she erased the affront with a shutout that disgusted her opponent on the service, before finally concluding after 1:50 of a match not so simple as that.
At twenty, the winner of Roland-Garros in 2020 can achieve the “sunshine double” (doubled Indian Wells / Miami), just to establish her current domination on the circuit.
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