First-Round Victory For Osaka Hints Return To Italian Open
On her return to the Italian Open since 2021, Naomi Osaka defeated Clara Burel of France in straight sets in the opening round.
Osaka, the former world number one, defeated Burel, ranked 45th in the world, 7-6 (7-2) 6-1.
Since defeating Victoria Azarenka at the 2019 French Open, Osaka had not triumphed on clay against a player ranked in the top 50.
Thursday’s second round match will pit the 26-year-old, who gave birth to her first daughter a year ago, against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, the 19th seed.
In the meantime, bad weather in Rome on Wednesday forced British player Dan Evans’ first-round match against Italy’s Fabio Fognini to be postponed.
After 27 victories, including eight aces, Osaka, a team from Japan, currently ranked 173 in the world, concluded the 84-minute match.
“In the second set, I certainly played much better. My goal is to improve upon my faults from today’s game when I play my match tomorrow.”
Naomi Osaka
