A spot in the next round is at stake on Friday, when Elisabetta Cocciaretto goes up against Naomi Osaka in the Washington quarterfinal. Naomi Osaka comes in at 8 wins from the last ten. Elisabetta Cocciaretto comes in at 5 wins from the last ten.
The serve is where this match separates: Osaka has been winning 71.1% of first-serve points to Cocciaretto's 61.1%, and on hard that gap compounds fast. The edge belongs to Osaka — real, but not the kind you take for granted at this level.