Osaka survives real scare

EVEN on an off day, it’s hard to keep a champion down.

Garbine Muguruza had Naomi Osaka on the ropes on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday – but could not land a knockout blow.

Leading 5-3 in the third set, Muguruza had two match points at 40-15 with Osaka on serve, as one of the boilovers of the Australian Open beckoned.

But the 2019 champion at Melbourne Park was having none of it.

Osaka (below) pulled out two aces in winning the next four points and went on to win the next four consecutive games to take the match 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

In doing so, the 23-year-old from Japan was only further wound in as favourite to take out a second Australian Open crown and fourth Grand Slam title overall.

“In the first match point I was just thinking that I didn’t hit a decent serve that entire game, so I should really focus on my serve,” Osaka said.

“I feel like my serve stats were pretty good that set, so I was just telling myself to do better.

“Then on the second point, when the rally started, I just told myself not to push but also don’t do something crazy and make a really bad unforced error.”

The tournament’s third seed, Osaka said she felt she had entered the match “over thinking” and her frustrations showed when she uncharacteristically threw away her racquet during the third set.

However, a return to “instinct-based tennis” when the heat was on helped turn around the match.

“I definitely would say for me nerves are involved,” Osaka said.

“I’m mad at myself for throwing my racquet, but at the same time I feel like it unleashed the emotions and the nerves that I had a little bit.”

Osaka will meet world No. 71 Su-Wei Hsieh in a quarterfinal match on Tuesday.