Naomi Osaka smashes her way to victory over Bianca Andreescu. (AFP)
Naomi Osaka joked that she did not want to face Bianca Andreescu ever again after the Japanese was forced to fight from a set down to reach the China Open semifinals on Friday.
In a captivating first meeting between two of the brightest young talents in tennis, the 21-year-old Japanese squeezed through 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in over two hours in Beijing.
Osaka plays title-holder Caroline Wozniacki on Saturday in the last four.
The first instalment in what should be the start of a long rivalry did not disappoint as Osaka brought the teenage Canadian’s run of 17 wins in a row to an end.
“Listen, I don’t want to play her any more, I’m good, one-and-done,” former number one Osaka joked of the prospect of more thrilling matches in future against the 19-year-old Andreescu.
Turning more serious, the two-time Grand Slam winner Osaka said that she felt she had been “counted out” after hitting poor form following her Australian Open triumph in January.
“I’m still here,” Osaka, the world number four, said, adding that Andreescu’s recent stunning success, including winning the US Open final against Serena Williams, had driven her on.
Andreescu, whose ascent has been so fast that she did not even play in Beijing a year ago, said she was relishing facing Osaka more in future.
The duo exchanged warm words at the net at the end.
The Canadian, ranked sixth in the world, revealed: “I said, ‘Congrats, you played amazing.’
“I said, ‘We’re going to have so many more matches like this. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.'”
In the other semifinal on Saturday, world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia plays Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.
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