Naomi Osaka responded to some courtside advice from her coach in the most emphatic way after dropping the first set in the Brisbane International quarter-finals, then conceding only five points in the next set on her way to a 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 win over the eighth-seeded Anastasija Sevastova.

The US Open champion was under pressure in the first set, when she made 15 unforced errors and had fewer winners than Sevatsova, who won both of their head-to-head meetings last year and had already converted two service breaks.

Johanna Konta out of Brisbane International in second round Read more

A disconsolate-looking Osaka went to a courtside chair at the changeover. And whatever coach Sascha Bajin, a former hitting partner for Serena Williams, told her during a quick, animated conference, worked.

She finished with 11 aces, converted all four of her break-point chances in the second and third sets and appeared far more confident in her own game.

Osaka said the advice was merely a reality check. “I mean, I was just trying to stay calm. Was trying to tell myself: ‘She’s one of the best players in the world. I just have to stay in there, and hopefully I’ll get a chance,’” Osaka said. “I did, so I just kept trying to roll with it. He literally told me that.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Japan’s Naomi Osaka talks to her coach during the women’s quarter-final match against Anastasija Sevastova. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

The 21-year-old Osaka will play Lesia Tsurenko, who beat Anett Kontaveit 7-5, 6-3, in the semi-finals, and now could rise to No 3 in the rankings next week which would be a high for a player from Japan.

Osaka has now made the semi-finals or better at four of her last five tournaments, a streak that began with her run to a first major title that culminated with a memorable win over Williams in the US Open final. And it has all been a significant boost to her confidence ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on 14 January.

“I feel like right now I’m really confident in myself, and I feel like the offseason training that I’ve been doing is really paying off,” she said. “And I’m not sure if I would have had the same feeling six months ago. Six months ago I didn’t win the US Open.”

Kyle Edmund has withdrawn from the Sydney International tournament with a knee injury. “I am disappointed that I won’t be able to return for the Sydney International,” he said. “It’s a great event and I enjoyed playing there in 2017, but I need to focus on my preparations for the Australian Open and do everything I can to be fit for the first grand slam of the year.”

Jérémy Chardy beat the Japanese qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) to be first man through to the semi-finals in the men’s draw in Brisbane, where he will meet second-seeded Kei Nishikori.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga got an easier path to the quarter-finals than expected, avoiding a second-round contest with 17-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who withdrew from the tournament with a thigh muscle strain on Wednesday.

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Tsonga beat Taro Daniel 7-6 (5), 6-3. The 77th-ranked Daniel was the lucky loser from qualifying who got a spot in the main draw when Nadal pulled out. “You go from the challenger to the guy that is supposed to win it’s not easy,” Tsonga, a 2008 Australian Open finalist, said.