Teenage sensation Naomi Osaka claimed her biggest scalp to date after beating world No. 12 Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open.
Eighteen-year-old Osaka, whose appearance and playing style have drawn comparisons with her idol Serena Williams, lost the first two games at Ariake Colosseum but woke up with a vengeance as she took the next six games in a row to claim the first set in dominating fashion.
World No. 66 Osaka again dropped serve in the opening game of the second set but soon got back into her rhythm, pulverizing her sixth-seeded Slovakian opponent to close out the match in 1 hour, 3 minutes with her seventh ace of the afternoon.