Another rough start doesn’t faze Osaka
Top-ranked player rallies in 3 sets vs. ex-No. 1 Azarenka
PARIS — Naomi Osaka screamed “Oh, my God!” after one shanked shot. Mouthed something and clasped her hands together, as if praying, after another. There were plenty of deep sighs and exaggerated eyerolls, too.
The No. 1-seeded Osaka got off to a terrible start at the French Open again, never masking her frustration. After some slip-ups near the end, Osaka also prevailed again, displaying the grit and groundstrokes that just won’t let her lose during what’s become a 16-match Grand Slam winning streak.
Osaka trailed by a set and a break Thursday against former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the second round at Roland Garros, before coming all the way back to win an entertaining matchup 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 and prolong her bid for a third consecutive major championship.
“I have this mindset that I feel like I can win if it gets down to the wire. Like, if I have to break a person, I feel like I have the ability to do that,” Osaka said. “So I probably shouldn’t wait until the last minute.” Probably.
In the first round, Osaka not only dropped the opening set, but did so by a 6-0 score.
This time, Osaka ceded the first four games against Azarenka and was responsible for their match’s initial seven unforced errors.
“Technically, like, she kind of killed me in the first set,” Osaka said, “and I just kept trying to find a way to stay positive.”
Azarenka sought to control points with deep, attacking strokes and by going after Osaka’s backhand side.
“I played very smart. I really played the right spots,” Azarenka said. “I was doing everything that I was supposed to do. And, especially, moving well and pushing her back.”
Azarenka knows a thing or two about how to perform on the sport’s biggest stages: She won two titles at the Australian Open, reached two finals at the U.S. Open and was a semifinalist at both Wimbledon and, back in 2013, the French Open.
She is currently ranked 43rd, though, on account of missing time over the last few seasons while pregnant and then dealing with a custody issue involving her son.
It was Azarenka’s serve that faltered down the stretch Thursday. It also was Osaka’s top-notch returning that contributed to a key stretch in which she grabbed 9 of 11 games.
“She has, obviously, a lot of confidence,” Azarenka said.
Which Osaka should, of course, given that she won the U.S. Open in September and the Australian Open in January and is trying to become the first woman to collect her first three Slam trophies in a row.
“She’s very powerful. She’s very explosive,” Azarenka said. “Her shots are pretty heavy. She can hit both sides, pretty even. She has a big serve, and she’s consistent.
“And proving that she deserves to be where she’s at right now.”
All of which is true.
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— News services