Coco Gauff’s Strong Words Affirm Her Deep-Rooted Desire to Face Naomi Osaka in Miami – “Definitely a Champion”

Tennis fans are finally getting a chance to witness the most awaited showdown between Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. Finding her way back into the scene, the Japanese tennis star finally appears to have built momentum, with two consecutive victories and the third one scheduled today.

Coco Gauff, on the other side, has already gained two victories at the Miami Open, waiting for the next opponent to be decided with the ongoing match between Osaka and Caroline Garcia. Along with the fans, the young American is also excited to play against Osaka, as she mentioned in a recent press conference.

“I’m hoping to play her here. I think we have great matches against each other. She’s definitely a champion of our sport. Regardless of her being gone, I still think she’s one of the best hardcourt players. It will be a real test for me,” Gauff said, expressing a desire to be in a showdown against the tennis star.

Coco Gauff’s wish to hold the court against Osaka is something that she’s been carrying for a long time. While Osaka’s path at the Indian Wells also had a chance of matching them up, it, unfortunately, got canceled because of the Japanese tennis star’s disappointing defeat against Elise Mertens.

Gauff expressing sadness over the failure of their showdown at the Indian Wells, said, “I think I expected to play her again when she came back on tour. Especially her not being seeded because her ranking dropped a little bit, you’re going to get her eventually. I really thought I was going to play her in Indian Wells.”

As Osaka continues to showcase her skills with the confidence gained from her previous 6-2, 7-6 victory over Elina Svitolina, it remains to be seen if she will earn a matchup against Gauff. Nevertheless, Osaka had to revisit familiar territory by facing off against Caroline Garcia and she took the notion in jest when she found about the encounter.

Osaka discovers wit on being matched up against Garcia

This isn’t the first time that Naomi Osaka finds herself one-on-one against Caroline Garcia. As the French WTA star ended Osaka’s Australian Open dream, the on-court flame between them caught an ignition.

Although Osaka completed her revenge by serving Garcia with a sweet defeat in Dubai, the fact that they were about to be matched once again seemed like a ‘joke’ to her. “Wim told me and I thought he was joking,” she said. Along with that, Osaka also expressed her desire to hear what her opponent had to say over repeated coincidence, saying, “Have you asked her? Let me hear her thoughts first.”

As the result of their match will determine the chances of Osaka’s awaited competition against Coco Gauff, it remains to be seen if she outperforms her rival once again.

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