Naomi Osaka beats Belinda Bencic, reaches Miami Open final

Osaka is one win away from ending her tourney slump. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Naomi Osaka reaches Miami Open final after comeback win vs. Belinda Bencic

By Adam Stites | Last updated 3/31/22

Naomi Osaka hasn't won a tournament in over a year, but she's one win away from ending that slump at the Miami Open.

On Thursday, she came back from a loss in the first set for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win against Belinda Bencic. It was only her second-ever win against Bencic, who won their previous four meetings. Osaka's only other win against the Swiss player came when the two met in a small tournament in Alabama as teenagers in 2013.

Naomi is ‼️

@naomiosaka comes from a set down to defeat Bencic and reach her first final since the 2021 Australian Open!#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/vaV9gWltTS
— wta (@WTA) March 31, 2022

Osaka, 24, was once WTA's No. 1-ranked player and ran through Serena Williams and Jennifer Brady to win the 2021 Australian Open last January. But she's struggled since both on and off the court. She withdrew from the 2021 French Open shortly after announcing she wouldn't fulfill her media obligations. Osaka later withdrew from Wimbledon as well, and failed to reach the quarterfinals at the Summer Olympics and the U.S. Open.

Last month, Osaka lost in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters where she was brought to tears by a heckler.

Osaka is currently 77th in the WTA rankings.

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