Naomi Osaka in pre-US Open hassle as she suffers back-to-back first spherical losses

If Naomi Osaka is searching for positives from back-to-back first-round defeats in North America, she will be able to a minimum of look again to her US Open triumph of 4 years in the past.

The final time this occurred, Osaka returned to the court docket at Flushing Meadows and swept apart all earlier than her – beating Serena Williams within the closing.

Osaka was simply overwhelmed 6-4, 7-5 on the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, shedding out to China’s Zhang Shuai, who will face Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova within the second spherical.

This was was solely Osaka’s third event again from an Achilles harm and it has been a stuttering return to motion for the twice US Open champion, who additionally exited within the opening spherical in Toronto final week, retiring with decrease again ache.

Osaka congratulates Shuai Peng on her victory as she suffered back-to-back first spherical losses

For Zhang, doubles champion in Cincinnati final yr, it was her first singles win on the occasion since 2014.

‘Naomi she is wonderful however I do not know she is possibly probably not feeling good as we speak,’ mentioned Zhang. ‘But for positive as we speak – not her finest as we speak.’

The first match on Centre Court, Japan’s Osaka acquired the competition off to a sluggish begin by double-faulting to present Zhang a break on her opening serve.

That was all the assistance Zhang wanted as she went on to take the primary set with the 33-year-old Chinese participant then rapidly gaining the higher hand within the second with an early break to go forward 2-1 as Osaka continued to misfire.

With Zhang serving for the match at 5-4, Osaka lastly secured an elusive break to stage the set just for her opponent to right away break again and regain management.

Osaka additionally misplaced within the first spherical in Toronto final week, struggling defeat by Kaia Kanepi

Serving for the match a second time, Zhang didn’t squander the chance once more, clinching victory with an ace.

Osaka acquired her serve working as she fired down 10 aces however not a lot else, with the four-time Grand Slam winner piling up 29 unforced errors and changing simply one in every of 4 break probabilities.

Zhang subsequent meets Alexandrova who was a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Thirteenth-seeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez, shedding finalist eventually yr’s US Open.

This yr’s main at Flushing Meadows begins on August 29 and can come into sharp focus as Serena Williams’ closing event earlier than her retirement.