Naomi Osaka Shows Support For Jannik Sinner’s Next Opponent Ahead of Their Wimbledon Battle
· Yahoo Sports
Naomi Osaka has achieved a significant milestone at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, reaching the fourth round of the grass-court Major for the first time in her career. She is not the only Japanese tennis star making waves at SW19, as qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki has produced a remarkable campaign and set up a meeting with the defending champion and top seed Jannik Sinner.
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Naomi Osaka Makes Time to Cheer on Compatriot Shintaro Mochizuki at Wimbledon
No. 14 seed Osaka has not put a foot wrong yet during her stellar campaign at Wimbledon, having claimed dominant straight-set wins over Elsa Jacquemot and Anastasia Gasanova. She produced a similarly high level of play during her third-round battle with Daria Kasatkina, securing a 6-1, 6-3 victory in just 65 minutes to advance to the Round of 16.
Shortly after her victory, Osaka headed to Court 18 to cheer on Mochizuki, who was taking on No. 23 seed Rafael Jódar. After battling his way through the qualifying rounds and beating Max Basing and Ethan Quinn in straight sets, Mochizuki pulled off a stunning upset against Jódar.
Osaka witnessed the world No. 151 claim a 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 comeback win and was even spotted filming his winning moment. She later shared the clip on Instagram with the message, “Let’s go Shiniiiii!!!!”
Osaka’s support for Mochizuki comes as no surprise, as the duo bonded while representing Japan at the United Cup earlier this year. Mochizuki described it as a “privilege” to be playing alongside the four-time Grand Slam champion and admitted he had been too nervous to approach her.
“Very nervous. It was actually, like, couple days ago, maybe yesterday, is the first time I spoke with her. I saw her a couple times in the tournament, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to her. I was very nervous at the beginning. I think it’s getting better. Hopefully I can get close more and more. If I get to play doubles with her, it would be great,” he said.
Both players have mirrored one another by each setting up a fourth-round clash with the top seed at Wimbledon, with Osaka set to take on Aryna Sabalenka, while Mochizuki will face Jannik Sinner.
Ahead of the challenging encounter, Shintaro Mochizuki described Sinner as a “celebrity” and said it felt surreal to find himself taking on the world No. 1 after a string of losses before the grass-court Major.
“It’s a strange feeling to play Jannik at Wimbledon, especially this year. I was not winning much before coming here. I don’t know how I’ve been winning matches here. I’m excited, but I also feel a little strange. But I just want to keep enjoying it,” he said.
Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, expressed confidence ahead of her battle with Sabalenka, emphasizing that she didn’t have “as many doubts” about her abilities on grass. She also welcomed a rematch of their recent fourth-round clash at the French Open, where the Belarusian claimed a 7-5, 6-3 victory.