Naomi Osaka vs. Coco Gauff was the headliner matchup for the women’s draw during the Round of 16. Osaka removed most of the drama rather quickly, however. <\/p>\n
The 23-seeded star made quick work of the 3-seeded Gauff, winning 6-3, 6-2 in a match that barely lasted over an hour. Osaka won an absurd<\/a> 15 of her 16 first-serve points and was a perfect 4-for-4 on break points, while Gauff served up 33 unforced errors.<\/p>\n Osaka is a two-time U.S. Open winner and four-time Grand Slam champion, though she hasn’t reached a Grand Slam quarterfinals since winning the Australian Open in 2021. <\/p>\n Her prize for ending that drought will be a matchup against either 27-seeded Marta Kostyuk or 11-seeded Karolina Muchova. <\/p>\n For Gauff, a perspective shift has appeared to aid her in her quest to add a fifth Grand Slam title to her career r\u00e9sum\u00e9:<\/p>\n Her path on that journey won’t be easy, however\u2014three of the top four seeds (No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No 2. Iga Swiatek and No. 4 Jessica Pegula) are already through to the quarterfinals. <\/p>\n Gauff is no longer among them, though it’s hardly a shock. The 21-year-old star reworked her serve<\/a> ahead of the U.S. Open, hoping to address a previous weakness, but those changes are still clearly a work in progress. <\/p>\n