Naomi Osaka made a triumphant return to the WTA Tour, beating American Coco Gauff in three tough sets on Wednesday to advance to the round of 16 at the Western & Southern Open. Osaka had to dig deep in this encounter, needing one hour and 53 minutes to record the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
It has been a tough journey for Osaka, who went on a three-month hiatus on Tour to tackle her mental health issues. In late May, the Japanese star sensationally withdrew from the French Open as she did not want to hold post-match news conferences, citing discomfort with that setting with reporters.
The four-time Grand Slam champion then pulled out of the Wimbledon Championships before returning to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics, where she suffered an early exit. It is the first time Osaka has been back in the United States since her lengthy break, and she put on quite a show in her battle with Gauff.
Osaka battles back from a set and a break down to beat Gauff
Osaka, who finished runner-up at this event last year when it was still held in the Big Apple, started poorly, dropping the first set, 4-6. It looked like Osaka was headed for a shock defeat when Gauff went up a break in the second set. Osaka fought back, however, erasing a 1-3 deficit by taking the next five games to force a decider.
Osaka sustained the momentum of that rally, immediately breaking Gauff's serve in the third set's opening game. Osaka never looked back after that, dropping just a single point on her serve for the remainder of the match to book a place in the next round.
Naomi Osaka comes back to defeat Coco Gauff in 3 sets in highly anticipated matchup.
— Troy Howell (@teeroyhowell) August 18, 2021
“With everything thats going on in the world, I feel like waking up every morning its a win.”
Osaka said in on court interview after the match. She stuck around to sign autographs for kids. pic.twitter.com/eXUckkX01b
Osaka recorded four more winners than Gauff in this match, but what doomed the 17-year-old phenom were her unforced errors. Gauff hit 14 more unforced errors than Osaka, with the American committing a whopping nine double faults. With the victory, Osaka improved to 2-1 in her career against Gauff.
Related Article: Naomi Osaka Breaks Down In Tears After Tense Showdown With 'Bully' Reporter In News Conference
Osaka's victory comes after her emotional news conference
Before the start of the tournament in Cincinnati, Osaka again grabbed the headlines for several reasons. She pledged to donate her winnings at the Western & Southern Open to help relief efforts in Haiti which was struck by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake over the weekend.
After a testy exchange with a local reporter, Osaka broke down in tears in a pre-tournament news conference. Dealing with the media might not be Osaka's forte but winning tennis matches is.
Next up for Osaka in the round of 16 is a clash with Jil Teichmann of Switzerland. Teichmann sealed a dream matchup with Osaka after defeating fellow wildcard Bernarda Pera of the United States. Teichmann needed one hour and 15 minutes to record a 6-1, 6-4 win over Pera.
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