Naomi Osaka stormed to her first tournament semi-final in more than a year at the Miami Open but was left concerned for opponent Danielle Collins. Osaka dropped just three games all match as she cruised through to the last four with a dominant 6-2 6-1 victory at Hard Rock Stadium. While the Japanese star was in fine form, Collins visibly struggled and served seven double-faults because of a neck issue. The problem only appeared to intensify as the match went on and by the end, Collins was serving underarm. 

Osaka concerned for Collins’ ‘serious’ injury 

Speaking after the match, Osaka said she was delighted with the win but emphasised that she hoped Collins was alright. 

"I hope she is okay,” she said. "I have actually never seen her do that before so I think it might be pretty serious.

"I am glad I was able to get through easily or, not easily, but just quickly. I focused on hitting a lot of good returns.”

Collins reached the final of the Australian Open this year and is currently ranked 11th in the world but it’s unclear at this stage how long-term this injury will turn out to be. 

Osaka relishing atmosphere

At Indian Wells earlier this month, Osaka was subject to heckling from members of the crowd, which left her feeling upset and led her to start talking with a therapist. 

Yet, so far in Miami, the 24-year-old has dealt with the crowd well and the incident in California is seemingly behind her.

"Sometimes I am hyper-focused and sometimes I can hear what people are saying,” she said.

"[Tonight] there was someone over there that was yelling 'break!' every time I was about to break or 'hit a first serve!'

"I thought that was kind of funny, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere tonight!"

Back to her best

Osaka’s struggles in 2021 were well documented and the Japanese star was forced to take a break from the tour to work on her mental health. 

Having returned to the circuit at the start of the season, Osaka was knocked out in the third round in Melbourne and dropped to 78th in the world rankings.

But, after receiving a wildcard to play in Miami, this is now the furthest Osaka has gone in a WTA event since she won the 2021 Australian Open. 

The four-time Grand Slam champion served 13 aces in total and sent a clear message that she is still a phenomenal tennis player. 

Next up is Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic, who has a formidable record against Osaka of late, winning the last three meetings between the pair. 

The match is scheduled for tomorrow at 16:00 GMT.