NEW YORK -- Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka played powerful, clean tennis to beat 93rd-ranked Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-4 in the US Open quarterfinals and set up a semifinal against 28th-seeded Jennifer Brady, a 25-year-old from Pennsylvania who has never been this far at a major tournament.
Osaka's victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday night was built on seven aces and an ability to get the better of the big hitting by both from the baseline.
Rogers, a 27-year-old from South Carolina, had won all three previous matchups against Osaka. But this time, Osaka, the former No. 1-ranked played who won the US Open two years ago, played far cleaner tennis than her opponent, as Rogers finished with 27 unforced errors, Osaka with eight.
Earlier Tuesday, Brady notched the biggest victory yet in her breakout run at the US Open, beating Yulia Putintseva, of Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-2.
Brady dominated from the baseline to take leads of 4-0 in the first set and 2-0 in the second against Putintseva, who won their two previous meetings.
"The last couple of times I played her, I got caught in playing her game," Brady said. "I don't think I'm better than her at running, so I definitely was a lot more aggressive today."
Brady used powerful groundstrokes off both sides for a 22-7 edge in winners, helping to keep rallies shorter than in their previous meetings.
"I came out with nerves. I think she did, too," Brady said. "I just tried to pretend it was a first-round match, and I was happy with the way I started. Then, I was able to keep the momentum and build off of that."
It's been quite a surge for Brady, whose big serve and forehand have carried her to an 11-1 record since tennis returned from its pandemic hiatus. Her ranking was low enough at the start of 2020 that she needed to go through qualifying to get into a tournament's main draw.
"There were a lot of doubts, a lot of questions. Definitely not positive thoughts during those times,'' said Brady, who helped UCLA win an NCAA title. "But I think I'm pretty lucky to have just stuck to it and just really continue to just play and practice and compete and get better. Here I am today.''
Wednesday's women's quarterfinals are Serena Williams vs. Tsvetana Pironkova, and Victoria Azarenka vs. Elise Mertens.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Naomi Osaka, Jennifer Brady set for semifinal showdown at US Open - ESPN
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