Naomi Osaka, aiming for her third championship in five years, narrowly wins the first round despite being pushed by Ruzic[オーストラリアン・オープン／テニス]
In the first round of the women’s singles at the season’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, main event January 18-February 1, hard court), 16th seed Naomi Osaka (free skate) defeated world No. 65 Antonia Ruzic (Croatia) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, starting her quest for her third championship in five years. ~ Naomi Osaka, the 2019 & 2021 champion who made it through the first round despite having a tough time at the Australian Open: @AustralianOpen ~ After splitting the set by one break, Osaka suffered a serve down at 3-3 in the third set, but caught up immediately and eventually won the last three games in 2 hours and 22 minutes. Osaka, 28, will be competing in the tournament for the third consecutive year and 10th time, having won the title in 2019 and 2021. Last year, she recorded consecutive wins at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time after returning from maternity leave, but she injured her abdominal muscle in the third round against Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) and was forced to withdraw after the first set (7-6 (3) from Bencic). This is the first time the two have met. Last season, Osaka finished runner-up at Montreal (WTA1000/Hard Court) in August, then reached the final four at the US Open (New York, USA/Hard Court), returning to the top 20, and is currently ranked 17th in the world. In the next round, Osaka will face Sorana Cirstea (Romania), who defeated Eva Riss (Germany) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
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