We were expecting a shock poster. We had the right to it. But only in small moments. Caroline Garcia and Naomi Osaka engaged in a roller coaster fight, between a Frenchwoman who was still irregular with racket in hand, and a Japanese woman obviously lacking rhythm after her fifteen months of tennis break.
But in this game, the prize goes to the one who is best used to handling these kinds of moments. It was the Frenchwoman who was already playing her 7th match of the season (compared to only 3 for Osaka after her long absence) who emerged victorious in two tight sets (6-4, 7-6) of this match in the 1st round of the ‘Australian Open.
And yet the match went by, as quickly as the winning shots (54) and the unforced errors (49) flew on a Rod Laver Arena that was still very full for this last match of the evening in Melbourne.
Reading for Osaka
From the start of the match, Garcia applied his ultra-offensive game plan to the letter, already seen and reviewed last season. “We had to continue to play like that, like what I know how to do,” explained the Habs after the meeting.
The objective: to take some time in Osaka. A time that the 831st in the world needed for her return to the Grand Slam courts. Result, a first break at 2-2, before already heading towards winning the first set, without any break point to save against her. Osaka, for her part, multiplied the unforced errors (15 in the first round alone!) but slowly gained strength.
Garcia with an amazing return to set up a ‘sneak attack’ on Osaka ????
Garcia takes the first set against Osaka, 6-4 ✅
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The start of the second round then became much more interesting, with two players at their best, at the same time. Rod Laver stood up several times on a half-volley of Garcia’s baseline forehand, to which Osaka dared to respond a few minutes later with an ace on the second ball… Before taking some time to open a book at change of sides at 2-1.
A final masterful tie-break from Garcia
But as the set progressed and the reading was put aside, the two fighters tensed up, giving way to a more random spectacle where exchanges from the baseline were very rare. Like this 4-4 game where the Frenchwoman was able to send a winning return at 133 km/h, just like two stupid unforced errors at the start of the rally, still on the forehand.
Faced with two outstanding servers (13 aces for Garcia, 11 for Osaka in total) and less sharp returners, unable to escape a tie-break to decide the fate of this second round. Always ultra-offensive and impeccable behind his first ball, Garcia delivered a masterful end of the game against an Osaka this time overwhelmed and never in the game to win 7 points to 2, and achieve a first success full of promise .
“It’s in line with the start of the season. I’ve already played a lot. There were defeats like against Iga (Swiatek) where it was nothing. I knew I was capable of playing good tennis. It’s progressing well,” enthused Caroline Garcia at Eurosport. The number 16 seed already has a meeting in the 2nd round with the Polish woman, 69th in the world, Magdalena Frech, who defeated local Daria Saville in three sets (6-7, 6-3, 7-5).
