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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Sport
Athena Freya

Naomi Osaka Powers Into Grass-Court Quarter-Finals With 67-Minute Rout, Says She 'Loves the Heat'

Naomi Osaka Elise Mertens
Naomi Osaka reached her first quarter-final of the 2026 season in Bad Homburg (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/TristanLaplap)

Naomi Osaka reached her first quarter-final of the 2026 season on Tuesday after a commanding 6-3, 6-3 victory over Elise Mertens at the Bad Homburg Open, needing just 67 minutes to secure one of her most convincing wins of the year before declaring that she 'really loves the heat.'

Competing in temperatures approaching 90°F (32°C), the former world No. 1 showed little sign of discomfort as she overwhelmed Mertens to book a place in her first grass-court quarter-final since 2024. The result also extended Osaka's winning record against the Belgian on grass to 2-0.

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