Bianca Andreescu and Naomi Osaka will go head-to-head for the first time in five years … on grass

The two Grand Slam champions will meet for the first time since 2019 at, perhaps, a surprising venue: a grass-court WTA 250 in the Netherlands.

When reigning Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka beat reigning US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in a competitive, three-set quarterfinal of the China Open in the fall of 2019, it seemed for all the world like it would be the first match in a long rivalry between the two young stars for the game’s biggest trophies.

For many well-documented reasons, it hasn’t quite turned out that way. But the second installment of Andreescu vs. Osaka, who made names for themselves as hard-court titans, will happen in another quarterfinal this week at, perhaps, a surprising venue, and on an equally-surprising surface: grass courts in the Netherlands, at the WTA 250 Libema Open.

Both Andreescu and Osaka are wild cards at the tournament, and each eased to second-round victories on Wednesday to set up the anticipated last-eight encounter. Andreescu was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over China’s Yuan Yue, the sixth seed, while Osaka saw off home favorite Suzan Lamens, also a wild card and ranked No. 140, 6-2, 6-2.