Osaka Falls in Cincinnati Qualifying

Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday August 12, 2024

United Airlines lost Naomi Osakabags over the weekend, and the four-time champion was worried he would miss playing in Cincinnati without his tennis gear. He found his gear hours later, but missed the big draw as the 95th-ranked Japanese star lost to the American. Ashlyn Krueger in the final round of qualifying Monday at the Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

It was Osaka’s first qualifying appearance since 2018, and she won her first match (over Anna Blinkova in straight sets on Sunday) but the former No. five games to the 20-year-old World No.64 after holding a 3-1 lead in the decider.

It hasn’t been all bad for the former Grand Slam juggernaut in her return from maternity leave this season.

Osaka rose in the rankings from outside the top 800 to No.95 in a span of eight months, winning 17 of 32 matches on tour this season. He is 0-3 against the top 10 but 5-6 against the top-20.

Last week in Toronto, after losing in the second round to Elise Mertens, Osaka talked about her hopes of returning to the Top-10.

“I think going through this process and losing really hard I learned a lot about myself and I learned that I really love this sport and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get to where I feel I deserve to be. I know it’s going to be a very tough loss, but hopefully, yes, hopefully I’ll be back in the top ten.”

The 26-year-old Osaka will hope to enter the US Open, where she is a two-time champion, using wild cards. He is currently one of the shortlisted candidates, which means he may have to play a qualifying match if no surprise card is available. That said, it’s possible, given how much Osaka means to the tournament, and to women’s tennis in general.