Osaka fights past Tig into Roland-Garros second round

Naomi Osaka made a steady start to her Roland-Garros campaign with a 6-4, 7-6(4) first-round win over Patricia Maria Tig.

The 23-year-old has never yet been past the third round in Paris, but will be heartened by a solid straight-sets victory over the world No 63, who saved one match point and then forced a second-set tie-break.

“It’s a work in progress,” said the Japanese star of her clay-court prowess during her on-court interview. “The more I play, the better I’ll get.”

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The two had met only once before – six years ago in Hua Hin, where their first set went to a tie-break and was won by Tig. The match that day was won by Osaka, though, and she continued her 100 per cent record against the 26-year-old.

The second seed will next face another Romanian – Ana Bogdan, who beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-3 for the first result of the 2021 main draw.