Naomi Osaka has rankings milestone in her sights as she sets up ‘fun’ match against Bianca Andreescu

Naomi Osaka continued her winning ways on grass and her run to the quarter-finals of the Libema Open will see her get another rankings boost with the top 100 now within reach.

After winning her first match on grass in five years on Monday, Osaka followed it up with another confident display in the second round as she eased past Suzan Lamens, winning 6-2, 6-2 in just 54 minutes.

That was only Osaka’s second win on the surface since Birmingham 2019 and she acknowledges that grass is quite tough to play on.

“Strangely, I think grass may be more physical than clay for me,” the four-time Grand Slam winner said.

“That’s in terms of, once you’re in the corner you have to have the strength to get out of the corner of the point is basically over with, and that’s where I fell very confident. Maybe that’s translating in my playing.”

Rise In Rankings

Following her year on the sidelines in 2023 after she gave birth to her first child, a girl named Shai, Osaka is still making her way back up the WTA Rankings.

The former world No 1 started the year at No 833, but she has surged back up the rankings and her win over Lamens has earned her another 12-place boost.

Osaka finds herself at No 113 in the Live Rankings and if she goes on to win the title she could be back in the top 90, but the 26-year-old knows she needs to focus on her next match.

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That encounter won’t be easy as she will be up against a Grand Slam champion in Bianca Andreescu, who is also nursing her way back to full fitness and form.

Osaka won their only previous meeting, back in 2019, but she knows the quarter-final encounter will be tough.

“I remember and I know this for a fact, that she’s a great player,” she said. “It feels really cool that we’re playing again this year. I know we’re both trying to come back and we’re almost kind of back, so this is really fun.

“I anticipate a really difficult match. She’s a player, to me, who’s really fun to play against because she can change anything in the match, like her play style or where she stands.”

She added: “I definitely think matches like that help my growth a lot. It’s really weird because I reflect on the Iga [Swiatek] match and, for me, it’s kind of crazy because I’m not sure I knew that I could play at that level. I always felt like it was in me, but I guess I needed that specific occasion to bring it out.

“So yeah, matches like these against Bianca are what I love, what I train for, and hopefully it makes everyone else as excited.”