Naomi Osaka, battling a first-set deficit against Karolína Muchová, rallied to secure a victory and advance to the third round of the Australian Open. Her triumph marks her first appearance in the last 32 at a Grand Slam since 2022.
Down a set against Karolína Muchová and facing a possible second-round exit, Naomi Osaka offered herself simple yet crucial advice to keep her Australian Open campaign alive. There was nothing complicated about her instructions, and they proved effective as Osaka rallied to defeat the 20th-seeded Muchová 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in just under two hours. 'To me, after the first set, I told myself, 'OK, you're kind of on your way out, but you're going to try to put your foot in the door.
'' This self-belief wasn't solely based on her two previous Australian Open titles. Osaka attributed her preparation for the season-opening major and her recent performance in the Auckland Open to her comeback victory. Osaka, a former world number one, chose to play the Auckland Open a fortnight ago, reaching the final before retiring due to an abdominal injury. Her run to the final included a three-set win over Hailey Baptiste, where she battled back from a tiebreak loss in the opening set to clinch victory. This experience proved invaluable as Osaka also needed three sets to overcome Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Australian Open. 'I think if I had immediately come here to Melbourne and had to play Garcia and Muchová, and those were both three-set matches, just having the experience from the first tournament really helped me,' Osaka stated. Osaka's advancement to the third round marks her first time reaching the last 32 at a major since 2022, especially significant considering she took a 15-month break from the tour to give birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023. While Osaka, currently ranked 51 in the world, has won four Grand Slam titles, the importance of reaching the third round in Melbourne was not lost on the 27-year-old. 'I wasn't able to beat a seed in a grand slam. I'm obviously very thankful that that happened so early this year.' Osaka will face Belinda Bencic in the third round after the Swiss player defeated Suzan Lamens 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) on Wednesday.
Naomi Osaka Australian Open Karolína Muchová Grand Slam Comeback Tennis
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