China Open: Osaka beats Volynets to set up last-16 clash with Gauff

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka set up a clash with Coco Gauff at the China Open after marching into the last 16 with a straight-sets victory on Monday.

The former world number one defeated 60th-ranked American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 in Beijing.

Japan’s Osaka is playing her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known for being the long-time former coach of Serena Williams.

The 26-year-old Osaka has struggled for consistency and form since returning to tennis in January after the birth of her daughter Shai in July last year and is now ranked 73rd in the world.

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She lost in the second round of the recent US Open, and her best results after becoming a mum have been two quarterfinal appearances.

Osaka has won seven WTA titles, including the China Open in 2019, the same year she triumphed at the Australian Open for the first time.

She also won the title in Melbourne in 2021 and is a two-time US Open champion.

The 2023 New York champion Gauff booked her place in the last 16 in Beijing with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Britain’s Katie Boulter on Sunday.

The 20-year-old American Gauff is seeded fourth.