Mia Pohankova beat Naomi Osaka at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Thursday. The player from Slovakia won 6-3 7-5. Osaka played in front of fans in her home country, Japan. She was number seven on the list of the tournament’s strongest players.
Pohankova turned 18 a week before the match. The organisers gave her a special place in the tournament. She won the girls’ singles title at Wimbledon in 2025. Osaka won against Jasmine Paolini in her first match in Tokyo.
Pohankova is now one of the last eight players in the tournament. She will play Alycia Parks next. Parks beat Kimberly Birrell 6-3 6-1 on Thursday. Leylah Fernandez also won, beating Elise Mertens 6-2 7-6, with an 8-6 finish to the second set.
Maja Chwalinska and Belinda Bencic left the tournament earlier because of injuries. Chwalinska was number two on the tournament’s list, and Bencic was number four. Chwalinska hurt the top part of her left leg. Bencic hurt her right ankle.
