Krueger Stuns Top Seed Li in All-American Semifinal, Reaches Second Osaka Final

Ashlyn Krueger defeated top-seeded Ann Li 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 in an all-American semifinal at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka on October 24, 2026, according to Tennis.com and Tennis Now. The match lasted two hours and 13 minutes, Tennis Now reported.

The result sends the unseeded, world No. 55 Krueger into her second career Osaka final. She will play Czech player Kateřina Siniaková, the world No. 86 and current world No. 1 in doubles, for the title on Sunday, October 25, after Siniaková beat Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-4 in the other semifinal, Tennis Now reported.

How the match unfolded

Li, the tournament's top seed and world No. 25, had entered the match leading their head-to-head 2-0, including a 6-4, 6-2 win over Krueger in Beijing earlier in October 2026, according to Last Word on Sports. Krueger took the opener 6-4 before Li forced a deciding set by winning a second-set tiebreak 7-4. Krueger closed out the match 6-3 in the third, per Tennis Now and Tennis.com.

Tennis.com's match statistics showed Krueger winning a higher share of her first-serve points (66%) than Li (63%). Krueger also converted five of seven break-point chances (71%) compared with Li's two of eight (25%), a gap that proved decisive in the deciding stretches of the match.

Paths to the semifinal

Krueger arrived at the semifinal without having dropped a set all week, having beaten sixth seed Janice Tjen, Lana Tararudee and fourth-seeded Australian Talia Gibson (6-1, 6-3), according to Last Word on Sports and Tennis Now.

Li needed more work to reach the last four. She came back from a set down against Emerson Jones, routed Zeynep Sönmez 6-3, 6-1, and survived a final-set tiebreak against Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger, winning it 7-0, per Last Word on Sports and Tennis Now. Li entered the week with a 31-25 season record and wins over Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek earlier in 2026, Tennis Now reported.

Krueger's history in Osaka

Krueger, born May 7, 2004, won her first WTA Tour title at the same tournament in 2023 — then called the Japan Women's Open — beating Zhu Lin in the final without losing a set, according to Wikipedia. That title lifted her into the world's top 100 as a teenager. Tennis Now reported she now holds a 10-2 record at the Osaka event.

The Osaka final will be Krueger's first tour-level singles final since she was runner-up to Belinda Bencic at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open, per Tennis Now. She also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2026 and was a US Open doubles finalist with partner Robin Montgomery, according to Wikipedia.

What's next

Krueger faces Siniaková in Sunday's final at the WTA 250 event. Tennis.com listed the match as scheduled for October 25, 2026, with the winner's prize money set at $37,390, according to the WTA's official draw page.