Naomi Osaka has gained back-to-back matches for the primary time in three months after getting back from a set all the way down to beat No. 21 seed Yulia Putintseva 3-6 6-4 6-2 within the Beijing second spherical.
Early within the match, the four-time Grand Slam champion seemed shaky however managed to avoid wasting a complete of three break factors throughout the primary and third video games. However for the reason that Kazakh saved urgent and the Japanese struggled to seek out her rhythm, the primary set quickly completed after the No. 21 seed claimed breaks within the fifth and ninth video games to routinely win the opener.
After discovering herself down by a set, Osaka began to play higher and acquired her first break within the first sport of the second set – however ended up dropping it 5 video games later. Nevertheless, the previous world No. 1 was in a position to keep composed after blowing an early break as she took Putintseva’s serve as soon as once more within the ninth sport earlier than serving out for a decider within the following sport.
Within the third set, the Japanese tennis star dropped her serve as soon as however nonetheless very simply gained the decider after breaking the Kazakh thrice to finish her comeback win and win two matches in a row for the primary time since ‘s-Hertogenbosch which passed off in June.
Who’s Osaka’s subsequent opponent and might she obtain her purpose?
For a spot within the China Open quarterfinal, the 2019 Beijing champion will play towards Sixtieth-ranked Katie Volynets. On paper, it seems like a really favorable matchup for the Japanese and a terrific probability to achieve the quarterfinal of a WTA 1000 match.
When this week began, the 26-year-old – who hasn’t gained any titles for the reason that 2021 Australian Open – shared that considered one of her massive objectives it to quickly declare a trophy once more.
“I’m glad that I’m ready to have the ability to play on this courtroom once more. And I hope to have the ability to elevate a trophy once more someday quickly,” the Japanese mentioned after her opening win.
For Osaka, profitable her second Beijing title – 5 years after her first got here – will surely be a dream state of affairs.
