NEW YORK: Naomi Osaka battled back from a set and a break down to defeat Anett Kontaveit 4-6 6-2 7-5 yesterday and advance to the Southern & Western Open semi-finals for the first time.
Japan’s Osaka trailed 2-0 in the second set, but she stepped up her serving and cut down on unforced errors to reel off six straight games.
The final set looked destined for a tiebreaker when Kontaveit rushed out to a 40-15 lead while serving at 5-6.
But the fourth-seeded Osaka fought back and completed the comeback when the Estonian sent a backhand wide on match point to end a contest lasting an hour and 52 minutes.
Next up for the twice Grand Slam champion is a meeting with Elise Mertens, who needed just over an hour to defeat qualifier Jessica Pegula 6-1 6-3 and advance to her first Premier 5 semi-final.
The 14th-seeded Belgian frustrated Pegula throughout the match, racing around the court to extend rallies and keep pressure on the American.
In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic cruised past Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3 6-1 to reach the semi-final where he will face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
Bautista Agut produced a stunning comeback to defeat third seed Daniil Medvedev 1-6 6-4 6-3.
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