Naomi Osaka is two and a half years into her return to tennis and hasn't yet come all that close to the kind of form that allowed her to win four Grand Slams earlier in her career. She's been playing a bit better recently, but cannot seem to finish tournaments as the winner.
That could change at Wimbledon 2026, though. She hasn't been tested by any of her opponents through three rounds, and that includes her third-round match against the overwhelmed Daria Kasatkina. The Australian is definitely a good player capable of masterful tennis, but the Japanese player has a higher ceiling.
After sweeping to a 5-0 lead in the first set, Osaka finally lost a game on Kasatkina's serve, but that would be the only one in set one. The Aussie landed 71 percent of her first serves but won only 47 percent of those points, a demoralizing feeling for any player.
Naomi Osaka defeats Daria Kasatkina in the third round of Wimbledon 2026
The truth was that Osaka was simply playing at a level Kasatkina wasn't going to be able to match. Even while the latter was playing decently efficiently, Osaka was performing pristinely with 11 winners and only six unforced errors.
When Osaka wasn't overpowering Kasatkina, she was making her opponent run. The Japanese player was in full control of the match, moving Kasatkina side to side with ease. It was extremely impressive.
To start the second set, Osaka got her third break of Kasatkina, and the outcome of the match was seemingly further cemented. Surely, the Australian, after being so dominated through one set and the beginning of another, wouldn't be able to come back.
The Australian did try to fight back, even getting a break of Osaka to bring the set back to 3-all. She wouldn't be able to build any momentum, though. Osaka would break right back, hold serve, and then get another break to take the second set 6-3.
Naomi Osaka will see a big step up in competition in the fourth round of Wimbledon, the first time she has reached that round in her career, no matter who she plays. She will face the winner of the Aryna Sabalenka and Jelena Ostapenko match. Sabalenka is the WTA No. 1 and, obviously, the top seed at the grass-court major.
