Competing on clay for the first time in two years, Naomi Osaka defeated fellow Japanese Misaki Doi 7-5 6-2 to reach the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open.
The second-seeded Osaka squeezed through the first set, in which qualifier Doi converted both break points she earned. After a rusty start, the second set was much smoother for the four-time Grand Slam champion, as she started serving better, avoided unforced errors and improved her footwork.
In the second set, Osaka won 100% of points on her first serve (9/9), faced no break points and had a perfect conversion rate when she endangered Doi’s serve.
When it comes to tennis fashion, Osaka’s choice in Madrid is the grey version of the Nike Women’s Summer Advantage Dress. The design also exists in black, elemental pink, dark beetroot and white.
The world No.2 Osaka will next face always-tricky Czech Karolina Muchova. The Japanese leads their head-to-head record 1-0, having defeated Muchova in three sets en route to the Cincinnati (NYC) final last year.
A really solid first match on clay for Naomi. I thought she played a decent match