IT was almost a clean sweep from Czech competitors on a blockbuster day of Western and Southern Open action in Cincinnati, as three of the four Czechs registered wins, and a Swiss wildcard upset second seed Naomi Osaka.

Jil Teichmann completed the biggest win of her career with a come from behind victory over Naomi Osaka, snatching a 3-6 6-3 6-3 result from under the second seed’s nose. While Osaka flew out of the blocks to claim an early 3-0 lead in the first set, Teichmann played her own technical game creating increasingly longer rallies and utillised everything in her arsenal to put Osaka in uncomfortable positions on court.

“I knew she’s a very tough opponent. She’s a Grand Slam champion. I’m the underdog, so… my plan was to just play my game,” Teichmann said post-match. “I move very good, I change up everything I can – directions, height, everything – and I think she didn’t really feel very comfortable about it, and I served very good.”

“I started actually really bad, two breaks down. I did breaks on my own. I wasn’t serving good. I was doing unforced errors. So when I sat down after first set I was, like, ‘Okay, I started off bad, but I’m actually close.’ I didn’t really feel like she’s much better than me today right now.

Despite being 6-3 2-1 down in the second, Teichmann drew on her patches of momentum to clean up her unforced error rate and take her chances, resulting in an improved 29 unforced errors to Osaka’s 41, and also leading winners 21-17 and aces 8-6.

“Literally, I’m shaking right now. I’m very, very happy with this win. I’ve had a very tough year: I started very well and I’ve had many, many injuries. But I felt like I’ve had a good level and I’m happy it’s working out now,” she said.

The Swiss wildcard will take on compatriot Belinda Bencic next, after the 10th seed earned a straightforward look into the quarter finals following a mid-set retirement from Czech Karolina Muchova.

“I’m just like really, really happy for Swiss female tennis. We really need that. We are very good players, and we are showing it. It’s perfect, actually. It has been perfect,” Teichmann said. “It’s gonna be tough. But either way I’m ready. I’m gonna just enjoy the match. Obviously I’m going to go [and want] to win, but for sure, it’s going to be emotional either way.”

Muchova was the only Czech competitor to not proceed to the quarter finals, with all three Czech seeds claiming victories. Ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova continued her exception form this season with a topsy-turvy three-set win over eighth seed Garbine Muguruza, 6-1 6-7(5) 6-2, while fifth seed Karolina Pliskova downed in-form American Jessica Pegula 6-4 7-6(5), and Petra Kvitova blitzed past Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-1 6-2 in just 63 minutes.

World number one Ash Barty appears to have returned to her dominant winning ways, blasting past 2020 champion Victoria Azarenka 6-0 6-2 in just 71 minutes. Barty fired 25 winners and broke Azarenka five times throughout the clash, winning the first 10 games of the match before Azarenka was able to get on the board, dealing the Belarusian her heaviest loss since 2007.

Angelique Kerber and Paula Badosa complete the day’s winners list, joining Teichmann as the unseeded players remaining in the draw. Kerber overcame Jelena Ostapenko in a hard-fought 4-6 6-2 7-5 clash, impressing on serve winning 61 per cent of her overall service points. Badosa claimed an 85-minute victory over Kazakh Elena Rybakina, 6-2 7-6(5).

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

[1] Ash Barty (AUS) defeated [14] Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-0 6-2
Jil Teichmann (SUI) defeated [2] Naomi Osaka (JPN) 3-6 6-3 6-3
[5] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) defeated Jessica Pegula (USA) 6-4 7-6
[9] Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) defeated [8] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 6-1 6-7 6-2
[10] Belinda Bencic (SUI) defeated Karolina Muchova (CZE) 7-5 2-1 RET
[11] Petra Kvitova (CZE) defeated Ons Jabeur (TUN) 6-1 6-2
Angelique Kerber (GER) defeated Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 4-6 6-2 7-5
Paula Badosa (ESP) defeated Elena Rybakina (KAZ) 6-2 7-6

Picture credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports