18-year-old tennis player Pohankova knocks out Osaka in Tokyo — Asharq Al-Awsat

Slovak tennis player Mia Pohankova defeated Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16 at the WTA 500 Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan. The 18-year-old wildcard entrant won the match 6-3, 7-5 in 1 hour and 35 minutes, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.

Victory over the seventh seed

Osaka was seeded seventh at the tournament and played in front of her home crowd. In the first round, the Japanese tennis player defeated Jasmine Paolini, but ended her tournament campaign in the match against Pohankova.

Pohankova turned 18 a week earlier. In 2025, she won the junior Wimbledon singles title.

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Next opponent

In the quarterfinals, the Slovak tennis player will face Alycia Parks. The American defeated Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 6-1 in the Round of 16. In another match, Leylah Fernandez beat fifth seed Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-6 (8).

Second seed Maja Chwalinska and fourth seed Belinda Bencic had previously withdrawn from the tournament due to injuries. Chwalinska has a left hip injury, while Bencic has a right ankle injury.