In her first round, Naomi Osaka defeated Lucia Bronzetti in a tough match to show she is really back playing in the French Open for the first time in three years. The player Philippe Chatrier court wind today gave former world No. 1 an emotional seesaw to go through.
Having returned from a maternity break and having been killed in the first round of the Australian Open this year, Osaka first seemed to be on the verge of a smooth victory in the first round. The first set is completely spoken by her, showing her great groundstrokes prowess and finishes the set in 28 minutes.
Nevertheless, the second set changed the side of the fence that I leaned on. Coaches and fans may argue that Osaka has started to get careless, and this started showing in her playstyle; The unseeded Bronzetti took advantage of the situation. Finally, with some important tips to earn a break of Osaka’s service, The Italian player levelled the match at one set-all by clinching the second set at 5-4.
The pressure to perform was now mounted on Osaka, The came into the tournament hoping to make an impact. The fact that she had gone to the previous Grand Slam events without winning even a single match seemed to be on the back of her mind, as she confessed later on. She said that before a match, she constantly thought about the need to win a match that was not productive. This mental barrier helped Bronzetti tremble back and could bring an equivalence at 5 all in the last set.
Even this lapse though temporary was met by Osaka who proved to be a strong contender. Again she collected herself for the winning breakthrough was made in the 11th chime. This was turning out to be a close encounter going into the final set, but this became the turning point and up to this point, the match lasted for more than two hours of intensive tennis.
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This victory is a major achievement for Osaka as; It may be a positive turning point after the period of various difficulties noticeable in the players’ performance and their offices. If she progresses and make it to the next round she is likely to have to face the defending champion and the current world number one, Iga Swiatek.
Osaka conveys her enthusiasm in a press conference acknowledging the fact that it is going to be a tough clash. She said she watched Swiatek’s matches during her pregnancy and it would be a privilege to possibly face her on the Paris clay.
It was not Osaka that stole the show in the opening day but several players. Other previous winners of the tournament including Sofia Kenin, and Jelena Ostapenko also qualified for the second round. Nevertheless, some seeds dropped out on the way: for instance, Barbora Krejcikova – the winner of the previous year’s event.
At the same time, young American players like Amanda Anisimova has also performed quite well. Anisimova similarly, overcame injury problems to overcome her opponent in straight sets display of sheer determination.
The French Open is promising to be an interesting event where a combination of the favorite contenders, young talents, and the players’ returns to the court like Osaka. The victory in the first round counterbalances the other team and reflects Sara’s passion on the court for her fans.
