PARIS—Naomi Osaka screamed “Oh, my God!” after one shanked shot. Mouthed something and clasped her hands together, as if praying, after another. There were plenty of deep sighs and exaggerated eyerolls, too.
The No. 1-seeded Osaka got off to a terrible start at the French Open again, never masking her frustration. After some slip-ups near the end, Osaka also prevailed again, displaying the grit and groundstrokes that just won’t let her lose during what’s become a 16-match Grand Slam winning streak.
Osaka trailed by a set and a break on Thursday against former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the second round at Roland Garros, before coming all the way back to win an entertaining matchup, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, and prolong her bid for a third consecutive major championship.
“I have this mindset that I feel like I can win if it gets down to the wire. Like, if I have to break a person, I feel like I have the ability to do that,” Osaka said. “So I probably shouldn’t wait until the last minute.”
Probably.
In the first round, Osaka not only dropped the opening set, but did so by a 6-0 score.
This time, Osaka ceded the first four games against Azarenka and was responsible for their match’s initial seven unforced errors.
“Technically, like, she kind of killed me in the first set,” Osaka said, “and I just kept trying to find a way to stay positive.”
Defending champion Simona Halep required that same sort of resolve to get through her own test, blowing a big lead in the second set and a trio of match points before holding on to beat 87th-ranked Magda Linette 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
Halep, who said afterward she felt a “little bit sick” and plans to “sleep all day tomorrow,” was up a set and 5-3 in the second before dropping four games in a row and getting broken twice while serving for the match.
Neither Osaka nor Halep managed to put on the sort of solid performance seen from Serena Williams—barely bothered during a 6-3, 6-2 victory over qualifier Kurumi Nara—or top-seeded man Novak Djokovic, also a straight-set winners.
Azarenka sought to control points with deep, attacking strokes and by going after Osaka’s backhand side.
“I played very smart. I really played the right spots,” Azarenka said. “I was doing everything that I was supposed to do. And, especially, moving well and pushing her back.” AP
Image credits: AP