“In the very beginning, I was a little wary of him just because his persona is very… I didn’t know if I would get along with him,” Naomi Osaka admitted while speaking about his newly appointed coach Patrick Mouratoglou at the Australian Open earlier this year. Well, every new beginning comes with its challenges! But with Mouratoglou’s wealth of experience, their partnership is slowly but surely proving its worth. Osaka’s gritty latest win at the Miami Open is a testament to that progress. As the Japanese ace beat Hailey Baptiste in a hard-fought three-setter in the Round of 32, Mouratoglou couldn’t help but shower her with praise.

The 2025 Miami Open witnessed a gripping showdown on March 23, as 4-time GS winner Naomi Osaka, ranked 61st in the world, staged a remarkable comeback to defeat America’s Baptiste, ranked 98th, with a scoreline of 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4. This win marks a significant milestone in Naomi’s journey, as she returns to the tournament’s R16 for the third time since 2022. 

Facing Baptiste for the second time in her career, after their ASB Classic encounter earlier this year, Naomi once again proved her resilience. Making her 8th Miami Open appearance, the 27-year-old eyes another deep run, having reached the SF in 2022.

As Osaka made her way into the pre-quarterfinals with a victory over Baptiste, her coach couldn’t hide his excitement. Mouratoglou, who joined Osaka’s team just before last year’s China Open is known for his active presence on social media and shared a carousel of images from Osaka’s intense match against Baptiste, captioning it, “What. A. fight! This is what tennis is about. Going through ups and downs, digging deep when it gets tough, accepting one’s emotions and dealing with them and most of all, problem-solving. Cannot be prouder of your effort today @naomiosaka #tennis #miamiopen #naomiosaka @replay.”

With this victory, the former World No. 1 now sets her sights on a tough fourth-round clash against the 6th seed, Jasmine Paolini from Italy. A win against Paolini would mark a significant milestone for the Japanese, equaling her best WTA 1000 result since returning from maternity leave. Osaka previously reached the QF at the Doha Open in February 2024, showcasing signs of her return to form. 

Following her grueling battle against Baptiste, the two-time Australian Open champion took a moment to reflect on her performance.

“The fight kind of got me over” —Naomi Osaka after her second win at the Miami Open

Osaka’s match against Baptiste kicked off with both players holding strong on serve, setting the stage for a tense and competitive first set that stretched beyond an hour. The Japanese found herself under pressure in the 8th game, facing a breakpoint, but managed to hold her serve in a crucial moment that kept her in the fight.

Neither of the two players could establish a clear-cut upper hand, leading to an intense tie-break in the first set. Despite a brief lapse where she allowed Baptiste a mini-break, Osaka quickly regained her rhythm, showing composure under pressure to edge out the first set 7-6.

However, the momentum shifted in the second set as Baptiste came out with renewed aggression, breaking Naomi’s serve early. While Osaka broke back, a series of unforced errors, including a costly double fault, saw the 4-time GS cham concede the set 3-6. 

With the match hanging in the balance, both players left it all on the court in the decisive last set. Baptiste took an early lead after breaking Osaka in the 5th game, but the former World No.1 refused to back down, breaking back and shifting the momentum in her favor. As the match neared its conclusion, Osaka’s experience shone through, and after 2 hours and 59 minutes of battle, she broke Baptiste one final time to clinch a hard-fought 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 victory, securing her place in the 4th round of the Miami Open.

“For me, it’s really hard because last year I was coming back from not even being in my greatest form – does that make sense? When I stopped playing, I didn’t really have the fight in me anymore. I think a big basis of my game is fighting and just trying to stay as mentally strong as I can,” Naomi said in the post-match press conference.

She continued, “Last year I had some good matches, but there were other matches where I felt like, since I didn’t play perfect, it was really difficult to win, and I just couldn’t get over that hump. I think the fight kind of got me over it. Then I realized, like, you need to play a lot of matches like that to be, I guess, one of the great ones. So I’m hoping that I can continue.”

With the 6th seed Paolini being her next challenge, are you backing Osaka to make it to the quarterfinals? Share your thoughts below!