Osaka beats Collins: first semifinal in Miami. All easy for Bencic

Naomi Osaka and Belinda Bencic only left three games each in the Miami quarter-finals. 6-2 6-1 for the Japanese, 6-1 6-2 for the Swiss. If the latter’s score is not too surprising – the opponent was Daria Saville, born Gavrilovic, who in the round of 16 had eliminated Lucia Bronzetti in three sets -, the ease with which Osaka beat Danielle Collins, finalist at the Australian Open, suggests that the former number 1 in the world may be on the right path after the ups and downs of recent times. Indian Wells had tears and defeat against Veronika Kudermetova in the second round, in Miami the final is a game away.

THE TWO MATCHES

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For Osaka this is the first semifinal in the tournament, reached with a perfect match: 25 winners against only three unforced errors, 13 aces, zero break points allowed. The Japanese, in the eighteenth semifinal of her career, has already gained 20 positions in the standings, from 77 to 57. The next opponent will be Bencic: the Swiss had an easy life against Saville and, like Osaka, will play the first semifinal of her career at the tournament of Miami. For the number 22 seeded, this is the first semifinal in a 1000 since the Madrid tournament in 2019. Osaka and Bencic have not faced each other since 2019, in the round of 16 of the US Open: 7-5 6-4 for the Swiss.