Fourth seed Naomi Osaka advanced to the second round of the US Open on Monday but was made to work hard during a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory ove...
Fourth seed Naomi Osaka advanced to the second round of the US Open on Monday but was made to work hard during a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Japanese compatriot Misaki Doi at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Earlier, top seed Karolina Pliskova shrugged off the eerily quiet atmosphere to reach the second round as the women’s draw followed the form book.
Osaka, who withdrew from the Western & Southern Open WTA final on Saturday due to a hamstring injury, showed little sign of a fitness problem after wrapping up the first set in just over half an hour.
But the 22-year-old 2018 Open champion’s composure deserted her in the second set, as a string of unforced errors crept into her game and allowed Doi to seize the initiative. Doi raced into leads of 3-0 and 4-1 but tightened when serving for the set at 5-3 – allowing Osaka to break back and get back on serve.
However the 29-year-old Doi regrouped to hold serve for a 6-5 lead and then punished a sloppy service game from Osaka to break once again and square the match.
Osaka raised her game noticeably in the third set, cutting down the errors and putting Doi under pressure on her service. Two breaks helped Osaka into a 5-2...
