Naomi Osaka says she is ‘super disappointed’ to be beaten in the second round of the Brisbane International but there are also positives to be drawn from her performance.
The four-time Grand Slam champion boasted a one-set lead before losing 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, to Karolina Pliskova. Osaka had 12 break point opportunities during the match but only managed to convert two of those in the first set. On top of that, she also produced 14 aces and won 81% of her first serves despite losing.
“Even though it’s super disappointing today, I know that if I keep training and if I keep putting in the work, then I’ll eventually get to where I want to be,” said Osaka.
“It’s kind of tough because she has such a great serve — my break points could have been better, but I think other than that, we both played really well.”
This week is the first time Osaka has played a tournament since September 2022 after taking a break from the sport to give birth to her first child who was born in July. In the first round, the Japanese player beat Tamara Korpatsch. She is the latest in a series of mothers on the Tour alongside the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki.
“Even stepping on the court is a personal win because a couple of weeks ago I was even doubting if I could play with everyone,” she admits.
“So I guess these two matches that I’ve had kind of prove to me that I am doing okay, and the year is just going to get better for me.”
Meanwhile, Pliskova is hoping to continue her strong record at the Brisbane International which she has won on three previous occasions. The Czech is currently ranked 39th in the world and hasn’t clinched a WTA trophy for four years.
“I thought I played quite well — there are a lot of things to improve but it’s a good start,” said Pliskova, who will play Jelena Ostapenko in the next round.
“You can practise as much as you want but in matches it’s always a little bit different.”
Another player through to the third round is top seed Aryna Sabalenka who stormed to a 6-3, 6-0, win over Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in less than an hour. The world No.2 lost only five points behind her first serve and broke her opponent four times in what was her first match of the season.
Finally, fifth seed Daria Kasatkina beat Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4.
