Naomi Osaka, the former world number one, made a triumphant return to the Rome Open after three years with a dominant victory over Clara Burel in the first round on Wednesday. In a straight sets win, Osaka demonstrated her prowess on the court by defeating her French opponent 7-6 (7/2), 6-1. This marked her first win against a top-50 opponent on clay since the French Open in 2019, where she defeated Victoria Azarenka.
Currently ranked 173 in the world, Osaka took a break from the tour to welcome her first child. Despite the hiatus, she showed no signs of rust as she took on Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the next round. Kostyuk, the 19th seed and runner-up in Stuttgart recently, lost to Osaka in their previous encounter at the 2020 US Open.
During her match on Wednesday, Osaka displayed her strength with 27 winners, including eight aces, and managed to break serve four times. Reflecting on her performance, Osaka expressed satisfaction with her mental resilience, especially during a challenging first set. She acknowledged the need to learn from her mistakes and improve for her upcoming matches.
With her victory in Rome, Osaka is poised to make a strong comeback on the European clay circuit. Tennis fans can expect to see more impressive performances from the talented Japanese star as she continues her journey in the tournament.
