Naomi Osaka maintains Coco Gauff Indian Wells collision course with Samsonova victory

Naomi Osaka enjoyed a new milestone in her comeback from maternity leave, upsetting No. 14 seed Liudmila Samsonova, 7-5, 6-3, to reach the third round of the BNP Paribas Open for the first time since 2019, and score her first Top 20 win since 2022.

"I know throughout my career, I've done a couple things I'd call growing pains, but thank you for supporting me and letting me grow up on my own time," Osaka said on court, saluting the crowd. "It's really nice to be back."

Champion at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in 2018, the former world No. 1 maintained the chance of a popcorn fourth-round clash with reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff, who also edged into the round of 32 earlier on Saturday.

Osaka missed out on playing Indian Wells in 2023 as she was off tour preparing to welcome daughter Shai, and suffered a disappointing exit from the tournament in 2022 when she dealt with a heckler in a straight-set defeat to Veronika Kudermetova.

Her return to the California desert has been far more positive thus far, with crowds embracing Osaka through decisive wins over Errani and now Samsonova, up-ending her higher-ranked opposition in one hour and 37 minutes on Stadium 2 Court.

"I'm just really excited to see Shai after this. I was thinking during the match how much I wanted to win because she really loves it out here," Osaka explained. "So, who am I to take her away from the desert?"

Samsonova enjoyed strong results at multiple major hard-court tournaments in 2023, twice finishing runner-up at WTA 1000 tournaments in Montréal and Beijing, but suffered a slow start to her season when she went 0-3 through the Australian summer.

More promising results followed in the Middle East, including a run to the semifinals of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, but the big-hitting Russian was overpowered by Osaka from the outset, falling behind 4-1.

Osaka shook off a hiccup that saw her lose four straight games to break Samsonova as she served for the set, reeling off the final three games and striking a fierce backhand down the line on set point to put the match back on her terms.

Samsonova hit through some impressive defense from Osaka—the likes of which surprised even Osaka—to save the first break point of the second set, but Osaka kept battling and drew a crucial error to put herself up a set and a break to the delight of the crowd.

Navigating another surge from Samsonova, Osaka powered through a tricky seventh game, saving break point to hold onto her lead. Serving for the match, saved another break point with an ace, and converted her second match point with one last error from Samsonova.

"I'm just enjoying the moment," Osaka said. "I'm appreciating just stepping out on the court so much every time. I know an athlete's lifespan isn't that long and it took me stepping away to realize that. I'm so thankful any time I can come on the court healthy."

Up next for Osaka is former Australian Open semifinalist Elise Mertens, who she last played at the 2021 Miami Open (winning in straight sets).