Courtesy: Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka reached the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time in her career today. The No. 14 seed defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 in just 65 minutes on the grass at the All England Club in London. The win completes a milestone she had been chasing for years.
Osaka has now reached the fourth round at least once at every Grand Slam. She has done it nine times in total across her career. That includes three appearances at the Australian Open, where she won two titles, four at the US Open, where she also holds two titles, once at Roland Garros and now, for the first time, at Wimbledon. She joins 30 other currently active players who have achieved that feat across all four majors.
How Osaka handled Kasatkina on grass
This was the first grass-court meeting between the two players, both born in 1997. Their history on hard and clay courts told a clear story heading in. Osaka entered the match with a 3-0 record against Kasatkina and an 7-1 lead in sets across those meetings. Today’s result extended that dominance further.
Osaka’s power set the tone from the start. She dropped just five points on serve during the first set and took it 6-1 without facing serious pressure. Kasatkina made adjustments to start the second set, stretching rallies and finding her forehand. A well-timed lob helped her claw back from 3-1 down to level at 3-3.
The momentum shift was brief. Osaka fought through a competitive game that went to three deuces, broke for 4-3 and then closed out the match without further trouble. Kasatkina, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2018, ran out of answers once Osaka regained control.
What the win means for Osaka at Wimbledon
Grass has historically been Osaka’s least comfortable Grand Slam surface. Her previous best result at Wimbledon came in the third round. Reaching the fourth round changes that picture and removes the one gap in her major résumé.
Osaka now leads the all-time head-to-head against Kasatkina 4-0, with a commanding 8-1 advantage in sets. The strength of today’s performance suggests she is moving through the draw with confidence rather than grinding out close results. Her next match will be her first fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon and a chance to push further into the second week.
About the Author
