Tokyo, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Mia Pohankova stunned former champion Naomi Osaka at the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Thursday, securing the biggest victory of her career and advancing to the quarterfinals in Tokyo.
The World No. 144 defeated Osaka, the 2019 Tokyo champion, 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 35 minutes. The victory marked Pohankova’s first quarterfinal appearance at a WTA 500-level tournament, having made her main-draw debut at this level.
The Slovakian, who won the Wimbledon girls’ singles title last year, has now reached a tour-level quarterfinal for the fourth time in her career. She will face American Alycia Parks in the last eight.
“I believe (in myself) all the time, and yes, it’s a really good match against her,” Pohankova said after the win. “She’s a really good player, and I’m just proud of myself. I’m really happy, and I hope it’s just the start of my career.”
Reflecting on the match, she said she focused on maintaining her composure and concentrating on every point, particularly during the closely contested second set.
“She played very well, but I won the first set. In the second set, I was just saying she needs to do something better, and I’m just trying to focus on every point. There was like no break in the second set. And it’s really tough against her, but on the last point, I said, oh, it’s a chance, and when she put the forehand out, it’s a good feeling, a very good feeling,” she said.
Pohankova has been attracting attention with her consistent performances and is increasingly establishing herself as one of the emerging talents in women’s tennis. At the same time last year, she was ranked No. 659 in the world.
She won an ITF W75 title early this season and reached the final of an ITF W100 event in April. In September, the Slovakian reached the semifinals of consecutive WTA 125-level tournaments before recording two victories at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open.
Meanwhile, Osaka was competing in Tokyo for the first time since 2022. The three-time Tokyo finalist won the tournament in 2019 and had been looking to make another strong run on home soil.
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