Last updated on .From the section Tennis Osaka won her first Grand Slam at the US Open Japan's Naomi Osaka has beaten Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-1 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo - her first match since winning the US Open. The 20-year-old beat Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam earlier this month - a victory overshadowed by Williams' outbursts at the umpire. The third seed raced to victory in 59 minutes against Slovakia's Cibulkova. She will play either Barbara Strycova of the Czech Republic or Estonia's Anett Kontaveit in the quarter-finals. "I didn't really feel any pressure," said Osaka, the tournament's 2016 champion. "It was really difficult because she's such a great player but I just thought it was more fun."<doc-sep>Osaka beats Strycova to reach semifinals at Pan Pacific Open Naomi Osaka of Japan celebrates after defeating Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic after the quarterfinal match of the Pan Pacific Open women's tennis tournament in Tokyo Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) TOKYO (AP) -- Naomi Osaka raised her game when she needed to, and it landed her a spot in the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open. The U.S. Open champion, who upset Serena Williams in the final in New York this month, won her ninth straight match Friday, beating Barbora Strycova 6-3, 6-4. ''This was my third time playing her, and each time it was very close, so I knew she was very good,'' said the third-seeded Osaka, the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title. Osaka will next face Camila Giorgi, who advanced after Victoria Azarenka retired from their match with a gastrointestinal illness in the first set. Giorgi was leading 5-3 when the match ended. The 20-year-old Osaka converted all three of her break points and won 80 percent of points on her first serve. She hit 26 winners and had an equal number of unforced errors. ''I feel like I adjusted,'' Osaka said. ''I knew that I wasn't playing that great today, but I still adjusted and I managed to win. I never know why certain things aren't working, but I feel like it's my job to make sure that I do the best that I can in that situation.'' Osaka broke the eighth-seeded Strycova to take a 3-1 lead in the first set but was soon broken back. Leading 4-3, that's when Osaka took control. She immediately earned two break points, and Strycova double-faulted on the first one to put Osaka ahead 5-3. In the second set, double-faults again cost Strycova, who was broken at 2-2. Osaka has been in the spotlight both on and off the court since she arrived back in Japan following her victory in New York. Friday's match at Tachikawa Arena was sold old and Osaka's progress up the rankings has been the focus of Japanese talk shows. She has received congratulatory messages from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and attended the ongoing sumo tournament in Tokyo. Also Friday, fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova defeated Alison Riske 6-1, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4). She will next play Donna Vekic, who beat second-seeded Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-4. --- More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports<doc-sep>TOKYO (AP) -- Naomi Osaka relied on a dominant serve to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open on Saturday with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over Camila Giorgi. The U.S. Open champion, who upset Serena Williams in the final in New York, overpowered her unseeded opponent and will face fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova in Sunday's final. Third-seeded Osaka fired nine aces and dropped just eight points in eight service games. ''My serve got me out of a lot of trouble today,'' said Osaka. ''She was playing really well and my serve helped me. I was a bit nervous because I really wanted to reach the final.'' Two years ago, Osaka lost in the final to Caroline Wozniacki, this year's top-seeded player who was eliminated by Giorgi on Thursday. Having not dropped a set over the course of her week, Osaka will next face a player who has needed three dramatic sets in each of her matches to reach her second final of the season. Pliskova had to dig deep again to beat Donna Vekic 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in Saturday's other semifinal. After saving two match points against American qualifier Alison Riske in the last round, and coming back from a set down against Daria Gavrilova earlier in the tournament, Pliskova had to go the distance once again, needing more than two hours to win. ''It was another long one today!'' Pliskova said after the match. ''I feel like I'm improving in every match, but the opponents are always more tough. That's normal in semifinals ... no easy opponents.'' Osaka and Pliskova will face off Sunday for the third time overall and second this year with a Premier-level title on the line. Osaka earned a 6-2, 6-3 victory over the Czech in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in March, en route to winning her first career title. ''I know that she's a great player,'' Osaka said of Pliskova. ''She has basically every shot and a really good serve, so I know it's going to be a really difficult match.'' --- More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Tennis A dejected Osaka alongside winner Pliskova at the trophy presentation Tearful US Open champion Naomi Osaka blamed tiredness after a surprise defeat in straight sets by Karolina Pliskova in the Pan Pacific Open final. Japan's Osaka was hoping to give home fans a victory to celebrate in Tokyo but went down 6-4 6-4 to the Czech. "I've literally never felt more tired in my entire life," said the 20-year-old, who plans to take some time off. Former world number one Pliskova, the fourth seed, ended Osaka's 10-match winning streak in just 63 minutes. "Naomi was maybe a little bit tired, you could see that. But the future is bright for her and congrats to her for an incredible few weeks," said Pliskova, 26, after her 11th career title. Third seed Osaka's defeat came a fortnight after she won the US Open final, which was overshadowed by beaten opponent Serena Williams' outburst at an umpire. Osaka could not recover after being broken by the world number eight in the fifth game of the first set and, as the strain began to show, she called for coach Sascha Bajin and groaned: "I feel so stressed out." She could barely bring herself to speak at the trophy presentation. "The chances of me playing in the next tournament are very low," she said.<doc-sep>
Naomi Osaka of Japan serves a ball against Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic during the quarterfinal match of the Pan Pacific Open women’s tennis tournament in Tokyo Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo) Naomi Osaka of Japan serves a ball against Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic during the quarterfinal match of the Pan Pacific Open women’s tennis tournament in Tokyo Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo) Naomi Osaka raised her game when she needed to, and it landed her a spot in the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open. The U.S. Open champion, who upset Serena Williams in the final in New York at the beginning of the month, won her ninth straight match Friday, beating Barbora Strycova 6-3, 6-4. “This was my third time playing her, and each time it was very close, so I knew she was very good,” said the third-seeded Osaka, the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title. Osaka will next face Camila Giorgi, who advanced after Victoria Azarenka retired from their match in the first set. Giorgi was leading 5-3 when the match ended. The 20-year-old Osaka converted all three of her break points and won 80 percent of points on her first serve. She broke the eighth-seeded Strycova to take a 3-1 lead in the first set but was soon broken back. Leading 4-3, that’s when Osaka took control. She immediately earned two break points, and Strycova double-faulted on the first one to put Osaka ahead 5-3. In the second set, double-faults again cost Strycova, who was broken again at 2-2. Also, fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova defeated Alison Riske 6-1, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4). She will next play Donna Vekic, who beat second-seeded Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-4.