Naomi Osaka beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to open her campaign at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she is the home favourite. The seventh seed won 6-3 7-6 (4) in one hour and 37 minutes, saving three consecutive set points in the second set before winning the tiebreak to reach the second round.
Osaka returned to Tokyo for the first time in four years and wore a blue-and-white, crane-embroidered outfit inspired by the kimono. Hana Yagi, who also designed her Wimbledon outfit, created the look. Osaka said she wanted to bring “a bit of a show” to the tournament.
“I was just really glad that she [Yagi] wanted to work with me again,” Osaka said. “I feel like for me I haven’t been here in a little bit of a while, so it’s just nice to bring a bit of a show here too.”
The win avenged her defeat to Paolini at the Miami Open last year, their only previous meeting. The 29-year-old fired seven aces to her opponent’s one.
“The match was really difficult,” Osaka added. “I played her once before and I lost, so I’m really glad to be on a home court and win. I talked to her and she hurt herself, so I just wish that you know she [Paolini] gets healthy soon.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion is playing some of the best tennis of her career since returning from maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter, Shai, three years ago. Earlier this week, Osaka said she would step away from the game if her daughter asked her to.
World No 1 Elena Rybakina had a bye in the first round. No 2 seed Maja Chwalinska and fourth seed Belinda Bencic have both withdrawn through injury.
Williams suffers first-round exit to teenager
Tennis great Venus Williams lost 6-2 6-2 to teenager Lilli Tagger in the opening round of the Guangzhou Open. The defeat leaves Williams with a singles record of 0-13 this year.
The age gap between the two players is understood to be a record for a WTA Tour match, at 28 years. Tagger was born in 2008, the year Williams won the last of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon.
Williams, now ranked No 599 and aged 46, played her first singles match in two months, since losing in the first round of the US Open to Sofia Kenin. She created no break-point chances, while Tagger converted four of the 16 she had.
“When I saw the draw I was super excited and a bit nervous – I respect her a lot,” Tagger said. “It is funny she used to play with my coach [Francesca Schiavone]. I would love to play at this age – I want to congratulate her.”