Osaka enters third round in Charleston
CHARLESTON: Japan’s Naomi Osaka booked a spot in the third round of the Charleston Open on Wednesday by beating Germany’s Laura Siegemund in straight sets.
Tenth seed Osaka defeated world No.74 Siegemund 6-3, 7-6(8) at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina.
Osaka played aggressive tennis and served six aces against one of last year’s semifinalists. She saved four set points in the second set, while hitting 31 winners throughout the match to Siegemund’s 25 to seal the win in just over two hours.
“I guess [I’m happy with] just winning,” Osaka said. “I was kind of upset throughout the whole match, to be honest, so I was very glad that I was able to win today.”
The 20-year-old won her maiden WTA title at last month’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, but she said she did not feel the pressure or expectations building up.
“I’m not really paying attention to anything. I’m super tired all of the time and I feel like everything has gone by really quickly,” Osaka said. “I’m just really trying to focus on my matches here and I’ll think about the other stuff later.”
Meanwhile, unseeded Kristyna Pliskova rallied from a dismal start to topple fellow left-handed Czech Petra Kvitova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the second round.
Pliskova blasted six aces and broke Kvitova’s serve six times in the two-hour match. She won just 13 of 34 points on her serve in a one-sided first set that went to world No.10 Kvitova.
British sixth seed Johanna Konta was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Hungarian qualifier Fanny Stollar, who blasted 28 winners to defeat the world No.22. The 19-year-old, ranked 219 in the world, will next face 12th seed Kiki Bertens, who beat Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic 6-4, 6-2.
2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys defeated Lara Arruabarrena of Spain 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.