Naomi Osaka ended Bianca Andreescu’s 17-match winning streak in Beijing’s National Tennis Centre on Friday during the quarter-finals of the China Open.
The former World Number 1 was one set down but battled her way back into the deciding set to beat Canada’s, Andreescu’s who gained mass media coverage earlier this year after beating 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the US Open.
Andreescu took an early advantage with a 5-1 lead, with Osaka fighting in vain to equal 5-5, but it was the Canadian who came out on top by taking the first set. The following set saw the 21-year-old, Osaka find momentum as she levelled the match and overcame a 1-3 deficit to come out on top.
Andreescu has had a fairy-tale season this year having won the US Open title in September and gained a career-high ranking of World Number 5. Osaka has had an equally good season after winning the Australian Open in January and gaining the title of top seed the same month. However, the Japanese-born Florida native struggled after her Australian Open win having lost in the third and fourth rounds of the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open.
Speaking of the loss, Andreescu expressed her dissatisfaction of the ‘losing feeling’ after an incredible winning streak “I forgot how it felt and honestly it sucks, I didn’t miss it” she said.
Fans have created somewhat of a rivalry between the next generation of tennis icons, with Osaka and Andreescu being dubbed as contrasting characters due to Osaka’s reserved on-court demeanour, while Andreescu is known to be more extroverted.
Osaka advances through to the semi-final of the last WTA tournament of 2019 where she l faces Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki.
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