Naomi Osaka will be competing in the final of the ASB Classic in New Zealand on Sunday, where she will face Denmark’s Clara Tauson for the first time. The tennis player won 6-4 6-2 in the semi-final against Alycia Parks.

Osaka said it wasn’t an easy win despite the final score. 

“I was just trying to survive. She was hitting such amazing shots. I kept thinking to myself ‘Give her one more ball to play try to get lucky,’” she said about her game against Parks, according to The Tennis Gazette. “I know there was one net cord ball that I really needed. So I’m really sorry to her but I really needed that. Just tried to focus on my serve and kept pushing.”

The win marks Osaka’s first WTA final since the 2022 Miami Open, where she defeated Belinda Bencic in the semi-final then lost to Iga Swiatek in the final, according to Sky Sports. The tennis player’s last title was at the 2021 Australian Open.

Osaka announced she was taking some time off from tennis ahead of the 2023 Australian Open and welcomed her first child, Shai, in July of that year. She made her return to the court in the 2024 Brisbane International, her two best results being a quarterfinal in Doha in February and Hertogenbosch in June, according to Tennis.

Osaka’s most recent victory ranks her in the top 50 of the WTA Live Rankings.

“Of course I’m really happy to get through to the final, but I’ve actually never got to the final of a tournament the week before Melbourne, so this is a career-first for me,” she said, according to Sky Sports Tennis. “I think in my head I’m always happy there’s things to constantly improve or get better, no matter how old you are.”

Sunday’s match will be Osaka’s 12th career final. It will also be her first time playing against Tauson.