Osaka passes Sevastova test to reach Brisbane semis

Naomi Osaka said the confidence of starting a year as a Grand Slam champion helped her pass a tricky test against Latvian Anastasija Sevastova and reach the semifinals of the Brisbane International on Thursday.

The Florida-based Japanese player struggled to get to grips with Sevastova as she lost the opening set in 33 minutes but, after a few wise words from coach Sascha Bajin, she blasted through the next two sets to win 3-6 6-0 6-4.

The US Open champion dropped only five points in the second set and then cruised through the decider.

"Maybe six months ago I wouldn't have been able to do that (come back)," US Open champion Osaka said.

"I'm not sure if I'd have had the same feeling – but six months ago I hadn't won the US Open. Now I sort of know what could potentially come next.

"I feel like right now I'm really confident in myself... so I'm not that scared or threatened... this was an important win. It's harder for me to play against girls like her."

Osaka said players like Sevastova, who mix up their game rather than relying purely on power, have caused her trouble in the past and that Bajin's advice had helped her regroup.

"He said not to be so worried. It was acknowledging that she was playing really good and there was nothing I could do about that," Osaka, who takes on Lesia Tsurenko or Anett Kontaveit in the semifinal, added.

"I had to wait for my chance, and I think that's what I did really well in the second set."