Naomi Osaka has got off to a winning start at the China Open by dropping only five games in her opening match on Wednesday.
Osaka, who is playing in the tournament for the first time since lifting the title in 2019, beat Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-2, in just over 80 minutes. The former world No.1 hit a total of 30 winners which was more than four times higher than her opponent’s tally of seven. She also won 79% of her first service points and nine out of 10 points played at the net.
“I think first rounds are always tricky, especially against such a good player,” Osaka said during her on-court interview.
“I don’t know, for me, I definitely did try to stay composed and, you know, do what I practiced.” She added.
Beijing is the first tournament Osaka is playing following the hiring of her new coach Patrick Mouratoglou. There is yet to be any public comment regarding the new setup and it is unclear how long the collaboration could last for. Mouratoglou has worked with many big names in the sport such as Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Holger Rune.
As for her tennis, the 26-year-old is relishing her return to competition in China. The tournament wasn’t held between 2020 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She then missed last year’s event due to maternity leave.
“It feels really good,” Osaka said of her return.
“I’m glad that I’m able to play on this court once again. I hope that I’ll be able to lift a trophy again sometime soon.”
Osaka, who is unseeded in the draw, will play Yulia Putintseva in the second round.
Elsewhere in the draw, qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva beat Laura Siegemund 6-4, 7-6(3), to set up a showdown with 27th seed Katerina Siniakova. Taylor Townsend battled past Italy’s Martina Trevisan 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Finally, home player Wang Xinyu eased past Mai Hontama 6-1, 6-3.
All 32 seeded players in this year’s draw have received first round byes. Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, who are the two highest-ranked players in the tournament, will play their opening matches later this week.
