A lot has happened since Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff last played each other at the US Open

NEW YORK (AP) — So much has happened for Naomi Osaka — in tennis, away from tennis — since she first played Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open back in 2019.

Over that time, Osaka has won two Grand Slam trophies to raise her career total to four, helped spark a global conversation about mental health by revealing she felt anxiety and depression, taken a series of breaks from the tour and become a mother.

The Gauff vs. Osaka matchup in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows on Monday serves as both a reminder — to them, to others — of that night six years ago, as well as all that's transpired since.

“Just to be at this point of my life and to be playing her again," Osaka said, "is, honestly, for me ... kind of special.”

Osaka was 21 and the reigning champion at the U.S. Open and Australian Open;