Naomi Osaka to Participate in ASB Classic Women’s Tennis Tournament

Naomi Osaka

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The ASB Classic women’s tennis tournament (New Zealand/Auckland, hard, WTA250), which will begin on December 30th, has announced that world ranking 76th Naomi Osaka will be taking part.

ASB Classic 2025: A New Chapter for Naomi Osaka

The 26-year-old Osaka, a former world number one, will begin the 2025 season in Auckland. This will be her first time participating in the ASB Classic since 2017.

“I’m looking forward to enjoying Auckland’s natural beauty and, of course, playing in a tournament I haven’t played in for a long time. I’m really looking forward to coming back to Auckland for the ASB Classic 2025. The last time I was in Auckland, I was lucky enough to take a helicopter tour and explore the beach. Another memory I have is that Auckland has the best salmon,” Osaka said on her official website.

A Look Back at Osaka’s Career

It has been eight years since Osaka last participated in the ASB Classic in 2017. At the time, she had not yet been ranked in the top 40 in the world, but she advanced to the quarterfinals that year. After that, she won the US Open (USA/New York, hard, Grand Slam) in 2018 and the Australian Open (Australia/Melbourne, hard, Grand Slam) in 2019. From there, she went on to win the US Open and Australian Open once each, rising to the top of the world.

Osaka’s Comeback and Future Prospects

This season, after returning from giving birth, she rose from 833rd to 76th in the world rankings. Expectations are high that she will rise even further in the new season.

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