A leg injury meant Osaka missed last season’s clay court swing and their last single surface tournament was held at Roland Garros in 2019.
Naomi Osaka won in straight sets in her first match on clay in two years. AP
Madrid: Runner-up Naomi Osaka made a successful return to clay at the Madrid Open, beating Misaki Doi 7-5, 6-2 in the first round on Friday.
A leg injury meant Osaka missed the clay court swing of last season and her last individual tournament on the surface took place in 2019 at Roland Garros. She played for Japan and lost to Spaniard Sara Sorribes in the Fed Cup in February 2020. « When I played clay this year, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, » said Osaka. « The two games I lost were more mental than physical. I didn’t feel uncomfortable sliding or feeling that tired. So I’m really excited to restore that attitude and start feeling more comfortable on clay. » / p> Osaka, the US Open and Australian Open champion, will next play against Karolina Muchova after the Czech defeated Qiang Wang 6-1, 6-3.
Maria Sakkari roared back after she won the had lost the first seven games of her game against Amanda Anisimova to win 0-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Karolina Pliskova with the sixth seed fought back to Cori Gauff with 5-7, 6-3 , 6: 2, while Daria Kasatkina needed three match points to defeat Irina-Camelia Begu 4: 6, 6: 4, 7: 6 (1)).
Aryna Sabalenka with the fifth seed, Victoria Azarenka, Jennifer Brady, Elise Mertens, Saisai Zheng and Jessica Pegula also moved on.
Changed date:
May 01, 2021 8:45:11 AM IST
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The women’s tennis tour had already released the first 27 weeks of its schedule for 2021, which was being phased in due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Australian will be one of Roland Garros favorites following her 2019 win and because of her great recent form.
It’s another setback for the Ontario 20-year-old who pulled out of the Miami Open final against Ashleigh Barty last month with a right foot injury.
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Ref: https://www.firstpost.com
