Osaka scores straight-sets win at Tokyo Olympics in first match since French Open withdrawal

23-year-old Naomi Osaka is through to the second round of the singles event where she will meet Wimbledon quarter-finalist Viktorija Golubic

Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan – July 23, 2021 – Naomi Osaka of Japan during training. Copyright: AI / Reuters / Panoramic

Haresh Ramchandani

July 25, 2021

What happened: World No. 2 Naomi Osaka scored a 6-1, 6-4 win over China’s Saisai Zheng in the first round of the women’s singles event at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday

Why it matters: This was Osaka’s first match since her shocking withdrawal from Roland-Garros in May. At the time, Osaka had declared that she would not take part in the mandatory press conferences in Paris, Following her first-round win in Paris and a fine by the French Tennis Federation, Osaka decided to pull out of the French Open, and also skipped Wimbledon.

Key stat: Osaka did not lose her serve even once during the one hour-28 minute encounter. The Japanese player, who lit the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony on Friday, faced six break points against her serve but saved one each time.

No fans but still an intense spotlight for Naomi Osaka, who stopped briefly in the mixed zone to say she was happy to be answering questions. pic.twitter.com/1XIqgxtxQ2
— Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 25, 2021

• Key stat #2: Osaka served six aces and zero double faults in the match, winning 76 percent of her first-serve points and 65% of her second-serve points.

• Other key information: With the exit of top seed Ashleigh Barty, Osaka is now the highest ranked player and among the top medal contenders at the Tokyo Olympics

• What next : Osaka will next meet Swiss Viktorija Golubic, who scored a 6-4, 6-1 win over María Camila Osorio Serrano

• Other key results so far:

Sorribes Tormo beat (1) Barty 6-4, 6-3
(3) Sabalenka beat Linette 6-2, 6-1
(5) Pliskova beat Cornet 6-1, 6-3
(7) Muguruza beat Kudermetova 7-5, 7-5
Alexandrova beat (12) Mertens 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Giorgi beat (11) Brady 6-3, 6-2
Vesnina beat Ostapenko 6-4, 6-7, 6-4

• The draw for the women’s singles event at the Tokyo Olympics is updated live here at this link

• If you have further questions on related to the tennis event at the Tokyo Olympics, hopefully you can find that information here