Naomi Osaka beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the French Open second round, where she should face Iga Swiatek
Former world No 1 into second round after 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victoryThe closer Naomi Osaka edged towards her first grand slam title win in more than two years, the more she found herself unable to play with the freedom she craved. From 4-0 up in the third set of herfirst-round match against Lucia Bronzetti, a match largely decided on her racket, Osaka’s nerves began to wreak havoc. She soon found herself on the verge of a crushing defeat.
To her credit, while trailing 4-5 in the final set after losing five successive games, Osaka steadied herself with some excellent serving and she rolled through the final three games to advance. “That was exactly the reason,” Osaka said. “I was in my head, thinking I didn’t win a match in Australia so I’d really love to win one here. Obviously that wasn’t a good train of thought. I kind of focused on it a bit too much instead of trying to play point by point, and I think towards the end I was able to erase that thought from my head. But I would love to not have to go through that rollercoaster again.
“Honestly, I didn’t really know ,” Osaka said. “But then after, I was like: ‘Why does everyone keep asking me about this draw?’ I knew that I was in the top half, so I was like, jokingly: ‘Well, it’s not like I’m playing Iga.’ Then everyone got quiet.“I’m honestly really excited. I watched her a lot when I was pregnant. I think it’s an honour to play her in the French Open, because she’s won more than once here. It’s like a very big honour and challenge for me.
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