Naomi Osaka reduced to tears again, but this time ones of joy, as she rallies past Bencic to reach Miami Open final
- Victory takes four time grand slam champion into Saturday’s final where she will meet the in-form, new world No 1 Iga Swiatek
- ‘I sometimes feel overwhelmed by my thoughts, in this particular case, it’s because I haven’t been in the finals in a while,’ Osaka says
Naomi Osaka cried tears of joy after reaching the Miami Open final for the first time before her mind turned towards something else.
The Japanese star has ridden an emotional roller coaster recently and after a heckler deeply upset her in Indian Wells, on Thursday night in south Florida Osaka couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
A 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Olympic champion Belinda Bencic took the four time grand slam champion into Saturday’s final where she will meet the in-form, new world No 1 Iga Swiatek – although picking up some dinner rather than lifting her first trophy since the 2021 Australian Open was occupying her thoughts more than anything.
“Unprofessional answer and professional answer, what I’m honestly thinking now is like how to get Korean food Uber Eats to my place, because there is nothing inside of the delivery range,” said Osaka, who was visibly emotional at the end of her win.
“But in terms of the match, I’m glad I was able to pull through.”
Osaka has been very open about her struggles with mental health which came to the fore last year at the French Open when she decided to leave the tournament after just one match and take some time away from tennis.
She sought help from a therapist in the aftermath of Indian Wells and the 24-year-old has cut a very relaxed and focused figure in Miami, enjoying life on and off the court, even though the pandemic has forced her to take solace in the shadows, at least for the time being.
