Former world number one Naomi Osaka reached her first semi-final in nearly two years with a determined comeback win over American Hailey Baptiste at the Auckland Classic on Friday, MySportDab Reports.
\The four-time Grand Slam champion triumphed 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-2 to boost her confidence ahead of the Australian Open.
Osaka, ranked 57th in the world, last advanced to a WTA semi-final at the Miami Open in April 2022.
After a 15-month hiatus during which she gave birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023, Osaka returned to the tour last year and has steadily worked to regain her top form.
“I put a lot of work in throughout last year, and even though the results didn’t show it, I’m just continuing to try as hard as I can to see where it gets me,” Osaka said. “The key focus again today was just to have a lot of belief and confidence in myself.”
Although she struggled with her rhythm in the opening set, Osaka’s powerful serving game emerged over the next two sets, firing nine aces to bring her tournament total to 21.
Baptiste, ranked 92nd, required treatment for an ankle injury in the second set, which Osaka acknowledged worked to her advantage.
“She’s an amazing player; it sucks that she was injured, but I think we played a really high-quality match,” Osaka said. “In a weird way, I’m glad to play a three-set match because I think that’s the kind of experience I need.”
Osaka, seeded seventh in Auckland, will face either Katie Volynets or Alycia Parks in the semi-final as she continues her quest for her first title since her return to the sport.
