She was in the lead for a long time, but she finally gave in. This Wednesday morning, Naomi Osaka was eliminated in the second round of the WTA tournament in Brisbane by the Czech Karolina Pliskova (3-6, 7-6, 6-4). Returning to competition after more than a year of absence, the Japanese won her first match against the German Tamara Korpatsch (6-3, 7-6). But against the Czech, 39th in the world and 16th seed in this tournament, the step was too high.
However, it was Naomi Osaka who started the game the best, breaking her opponent twice very early in the game. She finally offered the first set easily. The second round was much closer. Solid in service, the two players left only tiny opportunities to their opponent. The decision was finally made in the tie-break, and it was Karolina Pliskova who was the most precise.
Visibly tired by the fight, the Japanese gave up her throw in the third game of the last set. She then couldn’t come back and let this victory slip away. The result, however, remains positive for the former world No. 1 who has returned to a very interesting level and could already play spoilsport at the Australian Open, which takes place from January 14 to 28.
