Osaka, Serena win openers
MELBOURNE, Australia — Naomi Osaka won her opening match at the Australian Open on Monday for her dad. Serena Williams won hers for her daughter.
The first two matches on center court at the tournament were all about families for two champions.
For something new, Osaka’s father, Leonard Francois, was in the crowd watching as the defending champion won the last four games after dropping serve for the only time to beat Marie Bouzkova 62, 64.
Next up, Williams started her bid for a first major title as a mom when she beat Anastasia Potapova 60, 63. Williams has won the title seven times in Australia, and is aiming for a recordequaling 24th Grand Slam singles title.
Williams, however, hasn’t added to her career total since she won the 2017 Australian
Open and then became Olympia’s mom.
But Williams, seeded twice, did enter the tournament on a high note after she won a WTA event in Auckland, New Zealand, on Jan. 12.
“I hadn’t been able to win as a mom, so it was nice to finally be able to win a tournament with a 2yearold now,” Williams said of her Auckland win. “I’ve been pretty close, but it was special for me and for her. I hope for her.”
On Monday, Williams won seven straight games until Potapova held serve and changed the momentum — for a little while at least. The Russian got a service break, but Williams rallied quickly to get back on track.
Osaka, seeded third, thanked the fans after her match, saying “You probably didn’t come for me, but thanks for filling up the stadium.”
Other seeded women advancing included No. 7 Petra Kvitova, No. 13 Petra Martic, No. 14 Sofia Kenin and No. 25 Ekaterina Alexandrova.
On the men’s side, thirdseeded Roger Federer — who won the 2018 title in Melbourne — opened with a 63, 62, 62 win over American Steve Johnson.
Other seeded winners included No. 8 Matteo Berrettini and No. 22 Guido Pella.
American Sam Querrey ousted 25thseeded Borna Coric 63, 64, 64.