Osaka squeezes into US Open third round
NEW YORK: When pursuit of perfection wasn’t panning out, Naomi Osaka managed to re-prioritise on Thursday and come away with a more important prize.
In a surprising turn of events, reigning US Open champion Naomi Osaka advanced to the third round of the tournament on Thursday. The two-time champion triumphed over Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, overcoming a frustrating dip in the second set to secure her victory. Following a flawless first set and a 4-2 lead in the second, Osaka's unforced errors mounted to 20, compared to Siniakova's four.
The Japanese player's frustration manifested as she berated herself after poor shots and smacked her racquet's edge on the court. However, she managed to regroup in the deciding set, riding a quick break to a 3-0 lead and breaking Siniakova twice more. Osaka acknowledged moments of dipping and over-analysis, admitting that her frantic thoughts about closing the match were counterproductive.
She will face Belgium's Elise Mertens next, who defeated Maria Timofeeva of Uzbekistan 6-2, 7-6 (7/3).
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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