On Thursday, March 20, Japanese player Naomi Osaka (27 years old, WTA world number 61) celebrated her Haitian roots after defeating Russian player Liudmila Samsonova (seeded, 26 years old, WTA world number 21) at the Miami Open [6-2, 6-4], qualifying for the 16th final where she will face American player Hailey Baptiste (23 years old, WTA world number 88) this Saturday, March 22.

The two players have met only once, with Osaka winning their quarterfinal at the 2025 ASB Classic in January.

Haitian fans clearly supported Osaka and went wild as she sealed her victory and advanced to the third round of the WTA 1000 Masters.

Earlier this week, Naomi Osaka stated that she wanted to shine at the Miami Open because she considered the city "home." Osaka has always celebrated her Japanese and Haitian roots. Naomi was born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother. Her family moved to the United States when she was four years old, before settling in South Florida a few years later.

Before leaving the court, Osaka approached a fan holding the Haitian flag and draped it over her shoulders. Even better, the four-time Grand Slam champion autographed the flag before returning it to the excited fan.

After this victory, Naomi has a record of 8 wins for 3 losses this season.

Naomi Osaka vs Liudmila Samsonova :

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-44519-haiti-news-zapping.html

BF/ HaitiLibre