Japan’s Naomi Osaka began her bid to capture a first clay court title with a 7-5, 6-2 win over compatriot Misaki Doi in the opening round o...
Japan’s Naomi Osaka began her bid to capture a first clay court title with a 7-5, 6-2 win over compatriot Misaki Doi in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Friday.
The 23-year-old world No 2 recovered from an early break to ease into the last 32 in 87 minutes on the back of six aces, the last of which came on match point, and five breaks of serve. For left-handed Doi, the world 79, it was a 21st loss in 21 meetings against top 10 players.
Osaka, the reigning US and Australian Open champion, has seven career hard court titles to her name, but has never managed to lift a clay court trophy. The closest she came to breaking that run was a semi-final spot in Stuttgart in 2019.
“I try to play my natural way. I would say if I start thinking about grinding too much, I become a bit of a pusher and it’s not really good for me,” said Osaka who is playing her first clay court event since a third-round loss at Roland Garros in 2019.
“When I was playing on clay that year, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. I didn’t feel uncomfortable sliding or I didn’t feel that tired.
“So I’m...
