Naomi Osaka loses to Bianca Andreescu in Wimbledon warm-up

Former world number one Naomi Osaka lost in a full set in the women's singles quarterfinals of the Rosmalen Grass Court tennis tournament in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands on Friday, ending an encouraging run on the surface ahead of Wimbledon.

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Naomi Osaka misses her first semifinal since returning from giving birth

Osaka, who had qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024, lost to  Bianca Andreescu 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 in the women's singles quarterfinals, missing out on her first semifinal since returning from giving birth in July last year.

Andreescu will next face Dalma Galfi from Hungary for a place in Sunday’s final, with the draw opening up after the defeat of top seed Jessica Pegula.

Both players struggled for consistency early in the match

Two lengthy rain breaks meant both players struggled for consistency early in the match, which went on serve until the seventh game when Andreescu seized the initiative.

A powerful return down the line and a Naomi Osaka error handed the Canadian a break, which she backed up with a love service game marked by a string of mistakes from the Japanese player.

Andreescu managed to serve out the first set 6-4 in 40 minutes, cleverly breaking up Osaka’s rhythm with heavily sliced drop shots. But the Japanese hit back instantly in the second set, breaking Andreescu’s first service game with a sweet crosscourt forehand drive on break point and racing to a 3-0 lead.

An Andreescu double fault gifted her opponent the double break and Osaka closed out the second set 6-3 with a service winner. The only previous match between the pair was a nail-biting three-setter in Beijing in 2019 and the third set was also closely fought.

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Both women had their chances in the shoot-out

A fired-up Andreescu broke Osaka’s serve in the sixth game, wowing the crowd with some outstanding retrieving and inventive spins. She served for the match, but Naomi Osaka battled back with a break of her own, taking the contest into a final set tie-break.

Both women had their chances in the shoot-out, but Andreescu held her nerve better, Osaka making several unforced errors including on match point, as she dumped a backhand into the net.

Osaka has never played her best tennis on grass, her four Grand Slam victories have come on the hard courts at the US and Australian Open.