Naomi Osaka knocked out of tournament in Japan by 18-year-old Mia Pohankova of Slovakia

Naomi Osaka, the seventh seed, was unexpectedly eliminated from the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Thursday by 18-year-old Mia Pohankova from Slovakia. Pohankova, who made her wildcard entry to the tournament just a week ago, emerged victorious in a nail-biting match that lasted 1 hour and 35 minutes, winning 6-3, 7-5. This marked Pohankova's first appearance in the quarterfinals.

She will now face Alycia Parks in the next round. Pohankova, the 2025 junior singles champion at Wimbledon, had previously defeated Jasmine Paolini in the first round of the tournament. In other quarterfinal matchups on Thursday, Parks defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 6-1, and Leylah Fernandez upset the No. 5 ranked Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-6 (8).

In a late match, the top-ranked Elena Rybakina faced Yulina Putintseva, both born in Russia but representing Kazakhstan. Earlier, two top players, Maja Chwalinska and Belinda Bencic, had withdrawn from the tournament due to injuries. Chwalinska had a left thigh injury, while Bencic had a right ankle issue.