6 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:01 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:53 UTC
Slovakian teenager Mia Pohankova, 18, defeated seventh-seeded Naomi Osaka 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open on Thursday, advancing to the quarter-finals. The wildcard entrant, ranked 144th in the world, won in one hour and 35 minutes in her first main-draw appearance at a WTA 500-level tournament. Osaka, a former champion in Tokyo and four-time Grand Slam winner, had previously defeated Jasmine Paolini in the first round but could not maintain her momentum.
Pohankova, last year's Wimbledon junior singles champion, will face American Alycia Parks in the quarter-finals. The Slovak has reached a tour-level quarterfinal four times in her career and has risen significantly in the rankings this year. Osaka, playing in Tokyo for the first time since 2022, ends her 2026 season after a campaign marked by inconsistency and personal reflection on her future in tennis.
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