It’s been shaky so far by Osaka, and she’s not helped by being up against an opponent now serving well and at the top of her game. And is returning like a demon, too. At 1-1, Osaka is taken to deuce, and then a double fault coughs up another break point. This time, she engineers a winner. Then comes an un-returnable crasher of a serve. And then another. 2-1 in the second set, Osaka hanging on grimly for now.
One year on from her incident, and after taking a break from professional tennis at the end of the season, Osaka has returned to the French Open and on Thursday she conducted her pre-tournament press conference. She admitted that her return to the French Open was a source of consternation.
“I’m not gonna lie,” she said on Friday. “When I first came here, I was very worried. Of course I also didn’t like how I handled the situation, but I was worried that there were people that I offended some way and I would just kind of bump into them. But I think like everyone has been really positive, for the most part.”
And Anisimova serves out for 7-5, Osaka’s game has suddenly gone to pot.
Anisimova saves three break points, and then Osaka’s serve falls apart in the next game, a double fault handing the American a 6-5 lead and the chance to serve for the set.
Osaka and Anisimova has been a largely even contest so far, going with serve, though Osaka can claim the first set with a break of serve with the score at 5-4. Her own serve did not exactly look tip-top in the last game.
Preamble
En Paris, il fait mauvais, so it feels like this could be a day spent on the show courts only. On Suzanne Lenglen, Naomi Osaka, will kick off early doors with her match against Amanda Anisimova, the 27th seed. And on Philippe Chatrier, it’s the no 1 seed, Iga Swiątek takes on Lesia Tsurenko, the Ukrainian, who is likely t0 have the crowd on her side. And in the men’s, Novak Djokovic, back playing grand slam tennis, begins his assault on the title he won for the second time last year, by taking on Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. Djoko is last on Philippe-Chatrier, whereas Rafa Nadal, looking for a title number 14, take the lunchtime shift, playing Australia’s Jordan Thompson.
And there’s some action for the plucky Brits, too, with Cameron Norrie, the 10th seed, taking on France’s Manuel Guinard, Heather Watson taking on Elsa Jacquemot, the French teenager, and Emma Raducanu trying to recover her form on the grandest stage when she takes on 17-year-old Linda Noskova from the Czech Republic.
World No.1s ✅
Defending champions ✅
Household names ✅Day 2 is ready to deliver! #RolandGarros
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 23, 2022