By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, October 22, 2026
Photo credit: Screen Shot
Ann Li arrived in Osaka on fall ascension.
The top-seeded Li continues flying high.
Li smacked seven aces in a 6-3, 6-1 win over Zeynep Sonmez to reach her second straight quarterfinal at the Japan Open.
In her second tournament as a top seed, Li scored her first win over Sonmez in four meetings, including a three-set Wimbledon loss in June.
“Pretty good, I think it was pretty solid from start to finish,” Li said. “I had a couple of more chances I didn’t take in the first set. But I just tried to focus on myself and keep playing aggressive from the first point to the last.”
Entering this event ranked a career-high No. 25 following her run to the Wuhan Open quarterfinals, Li is one of three Americans into the last eight in Osaka.
It was Li’s seventh win in her last nine matches and sends her into a quarterfinal clash vs. 18-year-old Austrian powerhouse Lilli Tagger.
American qualifier Mary Stoiana defeated Moyuka Uchijima 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in two hours, one minute.
Playing just her seventh Tour-level match, Stoiana advanced to her second quarterfinal following her run to the last eight in Sao Paolo last month. Stoiana will play Katerina Siniakova for a semifinal spot.
World doubles No. 1 Siniakova swept Magda Linette 6-4, 6-1. Siniakova was Osaka singles finalist 10 years ago, bowing to American Christina McHale in the 2016 final.
American Ashlyn Krueger overpowered Lanlana Tararudee 6-3, 6-1. Krueger will play fourth-seeded Aussie Talia Gibson for a place in the semifinals. The winner of Krueger vs. Gibson will play either Li or Tagger in the semifinals.