Sports
Four years after: Naomi Osaka reaches first major quarter final
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… defeats Coco Gauff at US Open
Naomi Osaka eliminated Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 at the US Open with a far more confident and consistent brand of tennis Monday to reach her first grand slam quarterfinal in more than four and a half years.
The No. 23-seeded Osaka was better throughout than No. 3 Gauff, whose repeated mistakes really made the difference in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I was super locked in, to be honest. I was really locked in,” said Osaka, a 27-year-old who was born in Japan and moved to the US with her family at age 3. “I felt like everyone wanted to watch a really great match, and I hope that’s what you got.”
From her side, it certainly was. Osaka displayed the demeanor — and, importantly, the big serve and booming strokes — that have carried her to four major championships, all on hard courts. That includes titles at the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020, and at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.
It was at the French Open later in 2021 that Osaka helped spark a global conversation about mental health by revealing she felt anxiety and depression. She then took a series of breaks from the tour.
That most recent trophy at Melbourne Park was the last time Osaka had even made it as far as the fourth round at any Slam event until this match against Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida who owns two major trophies. The first came at Flushing Meadows in 2023 and the second at the French Open this June.
For Osaka, this marks a real return to her best play since she returned to the tour after a 17-month maternity leave. Her child, Shai, was born in July 2023.
“I’m a little sensitive and I don’t want to cry, but honestly, I just had so much fun out here,” said Osaka, who first played Gauff back at the 2019 U.S. Open, also in Ashe, and won that one, too.
“I was in the stands like two months after I gave birth to my daughter, watching Coco. I just really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play,” Osaka told the crowd. “This is my favorite court in the world, and it means so much for me to be back here.”
Gauff came out jittery at the start. Her serve was fine; other strokes were the problem. She finished with 33 unforced errors — way more than Osaka’s 12.
Trying to rework her serve during this tournament with the help of biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, Gauff got broken right off the bat and was down 2-0 after just five minutes, dropping eight of the initial nine points while making five unforced errors.
Whether because it’s what the prematch strategy dictated or because of how the beginning unfolded, Gauff cranked up the velocity in her second service game. The results were unimpeachable. She hit four first serves in — each arriving no slower than 110 mph, with a high of 115 mph — and held at love with a pair of aces and a pair of service winners.
Still, this is where the key difference was: Osaka used her big forehand, her best stroke, to go after Gauff’s forehand, her worst stroke, and it worked wonders. By the end of the first set, Gauff had made 16 unforced errors and Osaka only five.
Osaka slapped her left thigh between points and repeatedly told herself, “Come on! Come on!”
That positive body language was quite a contrast to Gauff’s. She repeatedly would put her palms up or gesture toward her team in the stands, looking confused or upset. CNN Sport.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the hosting of two major Confederation of African Football CAF events later this year.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation, President Tinubu approved the hosting of the annual CAF Awards, and the Confederation’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly in the country.
The general assembly is slated for October, and a date for the CAF Awards is yet to be announced.
The 47th Ordinary General Assembly and 2025 CAF Awards were held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rabat, Morocco, respectively.
NFF revealed that hosting of the events was announced by President Tinubu in Nairobi, Kenya, where he is attending the Africa Forward Summit.
The pronouncement came following a meeting with CAF President Patrice Motsepe, with NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau in attendance.
Other Nigerian delegates present at the meeting were Foreign Affairs Minister, Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, CAF Acting General Secretary, Samson Adamu, and Special Adviser to CAF President Amaju Pinnick who is a former NFF President.
Leading figures governing African football will be present at the CAF Ordinary General Assembly, including the heads of CAF’s 54 Member Associations.
Representatives from the six zonal unions and senior football officials from across the continent will also be present at the assembly.
However, the CAF Awards brings together current and legendary football of football figures with both continental and global reputation.
The annual showpiece event celebrates the best performers in African football in an atmosphere of glitz, glamour and sheer panache.
The 47th Ordinary General Assembly and 2025 CAF Awards were held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rabat, Morocco, respectively.
Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Awards in 2017, while the Ordinary General Assembly was last held in Nigeria 22 years ago in 2004.
FC Barcelona may have sealed another memorable LaLiga title with a victory over rivals Real Madrid, but the Spanish champions are already setting their sights on even greater achievements next season.
Barcelona secured the 2025/26 LaLiga crown on Sunday after defeating Madrid 2-0 in a decisive El Clásico clash, marking the first time in the club’s history that they mathematically clinched the league title against their biggest rivals.
The triumph also handed manager Hansi Flick back-to-back league titles since taking charge of the Catalan side in 2024.
Celebrations erupted across the city after the final whistle, with players and supporters marking the club’s 29th Spanish league title in style. Some players joined fans in the streets of Barcelona, while club president Joan Laporta also joined the celebrations.
Barcelona’s success this season was largely driven by teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who continued his rapid rise despite facing injury setbacks and intense public scrutiny during parts of the campaign.
The 18-year-old winger finished the season with 16 goals and 11 assists, emerging as one of the club’s most influential players. His performances, alongside contributions from stars like Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri, helped Barcelona dominate domestically.
Despite winning LaLiga and the Supercopa de España, the club’s Champions League quarter-final exit to Atlético Madrid has left players determined to improve further next season.
Young defender Pau Cubarsí admitted the team is hungry for more success and is targeting every available trophy in the coming campaign.
Barcelona also received a major boost from goalkeeper Joan García, whose performances after arriving from local rivals Espanyol proved crucial throughout the season.
The club finished the campaign with one of the youngest squads in LaLiga and remains on course for a record-breaking points tally.
Manager Flick is already believed to be planning reinforcements ahead of next season, with reports suggesting Barcelona are targeting new signings in defence and attack as they prepare for another push for domestic and European glory.
Arsenal have announced that Beth Mead will leave the club at the end of this season.
Mead will depart after nine seasons with the Gunners, after her current contract expires.
During her time with the English club, she won six major honours, including the Champions League.
In recent weeks, Mead has been linked with a move to Manchester City, where her partner, former Gunners forward Vivianne Miedema, plays.
The 31-year-old made 258 appearances and scored 83 goals.
Mead isn’t the only player who will get to say goodbye to the fans this week either, as Arsenal play their final home game of the season against Everton on Wednesday night.
Earlier in the day, Arsenal announced that two more players will be leaving at the end of the season, in Laia Codina and Victoria Pelova.
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