Naomi Osaka reached only her second WTA Tour-level grass quarter-final, and she will face Bianca Andreescu, who is in her first Tour-level quarter-final in 16 months.
Both of these players haven’t played too much tennis in recent years as they were both away from the sport. Osaka was pregnant while Andreescu dealt with more injuries, returning only recently at the French Open.
On the other hand, the Japanese player has been around since January, allowing her to reach a higher level than Andreescu since then. Both have done well so far in Den Bosch, winning matches comfortably.
Osaka cruised in both of her matches, while Andreescu showed some rust overall but managed to win both of her matches as well. Now, they will be facing each other with a chance to book a rare semi-final on grass for both.
Head-to-head:
Osaka and Andreescu have played only once so far, and it happened five years ago in 2019. The former world no. 1 ended up winning that match in three sets. They were close in level back then, but right now, the 26-year-old has been playing on a higher level.
As the recent results show, grass is also a surface where Osaka can play really well. The Canadian played on it more, but she’s quite erratic, and her lack of matches clearly can come back to bite her. A lot will depend on how fired up each player is, but expect a good level from both.
| Naomi Osaka | Bianca Andreescu | |
| 1 | H2H | 0 |
| 125 | Rank | 228 |
| 26 | Age | 23 |
| 15-10 | 2024 W/L | 4-1 |
| 280-158 | Career W/L | 193-92 |
Prediction:
However, Osaka should be in a better position to win the match. She has more matches in her legs and has looked sharper so far this week. She also won their only matchup, though it was very close. Andreescu may have good moments, but not enough to win.
Prediction: Naomi Osaka to win in two sets.
