Naomi Osaka battled through injury to reach the quarterfinals of the Japan Open on Wednesday, choking back tears after hitting the winning shot against defending champion Suzan Lamens.
Top seed Osaka, playing a singles tournament in her native Japan for the first time in three years, won 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-2 to set up a Last 8 match against Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian.
The former world No. 1 was leading 5-0 in the final set in the city of Osaka when she needed a medical timeout to receive treatment on her left leg.
She returned with heavy strapping on her thigh and lost the next two games before closing out the match in two hours, 20 minutes