News Sports Tennis Australian Open 2021: Naomi Osaka survives stiff Muguruza challenge to reach quarter-finals

Australian Open 2021: Naomi Osaka survives stiff Muguruza challenge to reach quarter-finals

3rd seed Japanese star defeats 14th seed Muguruza 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the fourth round of the Grand Slam.

Naomi Osaka Image Source : GETTY IMAGESNaomi Osaka celebrates after defeating Garbine Muguruza in Melbourne on Sunday.

Naomi Osaka fought off two match points and came back to eliminate Garbiñe Muguruza in a big-hitting fourth-round matchup of Grand Slam champions at the Australian Open.

The third-seeded Osaka grabbed the last four games to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in Rod Laver Arena.

That result puts her back in the quarterfinals of a tournament she won in 2019 for one of her three major trophies.

Osaka was serving at 15-40 while trailing 5-3 in the final set. But Muguruza could not convert either of those match points and wouldn’t win another game.

Osaka now faces unseeded 35-year-old Hsie Su-wei of Taiwain with a semifinal berth at stake.