After enduring what has bene a trying period of time after her explosion onto the scene as World #1, Naomi Osaka looks to be in fine recovery form. The Japanese star managed to overcome Victoria Azarenka in a competitive match-up in the Second Round of the French Open. Now, she’s about to move through to the Third Round and put herself in a good position for further progression.
Winning decisively at 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, Osaka recovered from a poor beginning of the match. Azarenka, a former Grand Slam winner, was unable to keep up with the pace and precision of Osaka as the match wore on. It will now see Osaka take on one of the highly-rated Greek, Maria Sakkari, or play Czech Republic star Katerina Siniakova. Asked about the match, Osaka said: “I was lucky enough to play her (Azarenka) twice before this and I knew she was playing really well,
“It was unfortunate that this was a second-round match but I am happy I won.”
She even remarked on her ability to have struggled at the key points in the match. Despite her ability to retain a calm exterior, Osaka responded to a question about her calmness, saying: “No. I choked on this side (at 5-1) and almost choked on the other side (at 5-3). I am very emotional.”
However, for one so seemingly overcome with her emotions, she came through a period of 15 unforced errors to overcome Azarenka.
