Osaka’s 23-match win streak ends against Sakkari in Miami
Miami, Apr 01 (AP): As Naomi Osaka’s 23-match winning streak neared an end, she paused before serving to crane her neck and study the sky, as if seeking intervention from above.
Then she carried on, and so did No. 23-seeded Maria Sakkari, who upset Osaka 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
The more stuff like this happens, the more I’ll learn from it, the No. 2-ranked Osaka said.
The defeat was her first since February 2020, and it ended any chance of reclaiming the No. 1 ranking this week from Ash Barty, who is in the semifinals.
Sakkari will next play No. 8-seeded Bianca Andreescu of Canada, who dropped serve eight times but still outlasted unseeded Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
I’m super proud of how I handled it tonight, because it wasn’t easy, Andreescu said. My body was giving out, and then my mind gave out at one point, because I was just thinking about how tired I was.
The other women’s semifinal Thursday will pit No. 1-seeded Ash Barty against No. 5 Elina Svitolina.
Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in February, but in five Miami appearances she has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals. She said couldn’t get comfortable on the tournament’s hard-court surface.
