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Osaka, the 20-year-old Japanese, won a women's semifinal with a decisive 6-1, 6-1 win over un-ranked Lesia Tsurenko at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Osaka, born in Japan but having spent most of her childhood in the United States, became the first Japanese to reach the semifinal of a major tournament since Kimiko Date at Wimbledon in 1996. (Date lost to eventual winner Steffi Graf.)
His match was the first half of a big day for Japanese tennis as No. 21 Kei Nishikori was to play No. 7 Marin Cilic in the men's quarter-final. It was the first time that two Japanese players participated in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 1995.
That year, Shuzo Matsuoka reached the men's quarterfinals and lost in four sets to Pete Sampras and Date lost to Jana Novotna in three sets in the women's quarter-final.
Osaka will face the quarterfinal winner between No. 14 Madison Keys and No. 30 Carla Suarez Navarro, scheduled for Wednesday night. It was expected that the match would be much more competitive than Osaka's victory over an exhausted and exhausted Tsurenko.
In the midday sun, Osaka finished the victory in 57 minutes. She said the conditions did not matter to her.
"In fact, I do not think it's so hot," she said in an interview with the court. "I'm sorry, I'm used to the warmth of Florida, I kind of liked it, I like to sweat.
She won the first set in 26 minutes and only gave up 14 points in the first set by beating her outclassed opponent. Tsurenko, who sang at a demanding fourth-round match against Marketa Vondrousova in a dizzying heat and humidity on Monday. Tsurenko seemed to favor his left leg at certain moments of the match and does not seem to have left his stamina with Osaka.
When it was over, Osaka went to the net to shake hands without too much celebration, but she admitted that her calm and discreet attitude refuted her inner anxiety.
"I panicked inside," she said, adding, "My whole body was shaking, so I'm really happy I could play well today."
It was a breakaway year for Osaka, who beat No. 1 Simona Halep to win the Masters 1000 at Indian Wells, Calif., In March for her first WTA tour title. She also demonstrated her courage by defeating her idol, Serena Williams, a few weeks later in Miami.
Until this US Open, Osaka's best performance at a Grand Slam tournament was the fourth round of the Australian Open this year.
Wednesday quarter games
No. 7 Marin Cilic vs. No. 21 Kei Nishikori
Ashe Stadium, second match
Cilic and Nishikori offer a striking contrast in styles. Cilic, winner of the 2014 US Open, is known for his wide service and powerful ground strikes that he can use to move his opponents, especially on difficult terrain. Nishikori, who lost the 2014 final against Cilic, is a small player, who relies on his speed and selection of shots to adjust his game to that of his opponent. With heat a problem, Cilic's five games with Alex Minaur could weigh on him if Nishikori can play defensively and stretch the points.
No. 14 Madison Keys vs. No. 30 Carla Sunavarro
Ashe Stadium, 19h
Keys, last year's finalist, won just one set in the tournament. She plays the cunning veteran Navarro who just had the best warm-up possible to face Keys, beating Maria Sharapova. Navarro relies on its variety and placement of blows rather than on power. The keys have a lot more power than the variety, although it has certainly improved in this area over the past year. The crowd will be on his side, but Navarro will not be easy.
Credit
Uli Seit for the New York Times
# 6 Novak Djokovic vs. John Millman
Ashe Stadium, match of the second night
Millman was the surprise of the tournament. After training with Roger Federer over the summer, he knocked him down in a match where Federer seemed haggard and exhausted by the heat. While Djokovic also showed signs of fatigue during the heat wave, his famous conditioning did not affect as much as many other players. If Millman can follow him, maybe we can see his journey continue. DANIEL GENDLER AND MAX GENDLER
Doubles games to watch
Maximo Gonzales and Nicolas Jarry vs. Mike Bryan and Jack Sock
Tribune, second match
Bryan has a habit of playing doubles with his twin, Bob, but as Bob is injured, Mike plays with fellow Sock, who, while fighting his singles match, is a good doubles player. The duo won Wimbledon in July. In Wednesday's quarterfinal, they face Argentinian doubles specialist Gonzalez and Chile's big Jarry, who pushed John Isner to five sets in singles.
Christina McHale and Christian Harrison vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray
Tribune, third match
Harrison and Murray made a name for themselves on the doubles tour, while their older older brothers, Ryan and Andy, were much more successful on the singles tour. McHale, whose sister is married to Ryan Harrison, and Mattek-Sands have had some singles successes, but are better known as doubles players. All four have great instincts and a clean touch. DANIEL GENDLER AND MAX GENDLER
Tuesday's highlights
• Rafael Nadal, seeded, needed five sets and nearly five hours to overtake Dominic Thiem in the longest match of the tournament.
• Serena Williams is back in the semifinal after a win over Karolina Pliskova on Tuesday.
• Sloane Stephens, the women's singles champion, lost to Anastasija Sevastova in the quarterfinals.
• The best American on the men's side, number 11 John Isner, fell to number 3 Juan Martín del Potro.
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