The U.S. Open’s Labor Day Monday morning session was dominated by stunning underdog performances, as Naomi Osaka and Felix Auger-Aliassime delivered commanding wins to secure their returns to the Grand Slam quarter-finals after years of struggles. Osaka, the four-time major champion, looked in vintage form as she dismantled third seed Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in a swift 64 minutes, reaching her first Flushing Meadows quarter-final in five years with a display of powerful and poised tennis.
An emotional Osaka, whose smile never left her face during the match, fought back tears in her on-court interview, stating, “I’m a little sensitive. I don’t want to cry. I had so much fun out here.” She gave a big thank you to her team, acknowledging, “We’ve been through a lot, it hasn’t been easy but they have been by my side.” For Gauff, the defeat marked another challenging chapter in her post-French Open period, as she made crucial errors from the baseline despite serving well.
Felix Auger-Aliassime delivered his own statement victory with a composed 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win over 15th seed Andrey Rublev. The win propelled him to his first major quarter-final since the 2022 Australian Open, a significant milestone after battling injuries and a crisis of confidence. The 25th seed expressed that playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium again “feels even better than the first time,” and that his comeback felt “more deserved” after his setbacks.
Both victorious underdogs credited a renewed mental approach for their breakthroughs. Osaka emphasized her goal to “be grateful” and have fun against elite opposition, while Auger-Aliassime stressed the importance of staying “calm-headed in those big pressure moments.” In other action, top seed Iga Swiatek continued her incredible season with a clinical 64-minute victory, becoming the youngest woman to reach the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams in a single season since Maria Sharapova in 2005.
