NEW YORK — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek fought via a troublesome first-round match on the US Open on Tuesday, and two-time champion Naomi Osaka made a formidable return to the match by beating No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 in a uncommon first-round conflict between former main winners.
Osaka, the 2018 and 2020 champion in Flushing Meadows, wanted solely 64 minutes to oust Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion.
It was the form of efficiency that was normal from Osaka when she reached No. 1 within the rankings and gained 4 Grand Slam titles from 2018 to 2021.
But she had missed giant gaps of time since, first for psychological well being breaks then after giving start, and simply this month posted on social media concerning the struggles of not taking part in in addition to she used to after failing to qualify for the match in Cincinnati.
Osaka smashed 19 winners towards solely 5 unforced errors Tuesday and mentioned the adoring New York crowd fueled her from the second she stepped out on the courtroom.
“I was trying not to cry when I was walking out,” Osaka mentioned. “I remember last year I was watching Coco [Gauff] play and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again and I didn’t know if I could.”
Her emotional return was practically derailed by an uncooperative 1-year-old.
“Last night, my daughter didn’t want to go to sleep on her bedtime so I had to hold her for quite a while,” Osaka mentioned. “I was like, oh wow, she really picked the perfect day not to go to sleep.”
Osaka’s win Tuesday was her first over a WTA top-10 participant in additional than 4 years, since she defeated No. 9 Kiki Bertens within the quarterfinals at Brisbane in 2020.
She wore a Kobe Bryant jersey to her postmatch news convention and recalled the time the Los Angeles Lakers legend got here to observe her play at Louis Armstrong Stadium right here 5 years in the past.
“I honestly remember being a little bit in disbelief that he was coming specifically to watch my match,” she mentioned. “Just to feel that support was unreal. I think for me I always wear Kobe jerseys after matches and practices because I feel like a little bit, like, I can kind of keep his spirit with me.”
For Tuesday’s match, Osaka was decked out — from her visor to her costume to the bows on her again and connected to her footwear — in lime inexperienced.
“I feel like being able to be a part of [designing] my tennis outfits gives me, I would say, a different strength, especially the US Open outfits. I feel like they are a little bit more flamboyant. When I was putting on my outfit today, I was, like, ‘Ah, I hope this isn’t too much,'” she mentioned with a smile. “Because I had the tutu, and then I had the bow jacket and it was green. I feel like everyone was staring at me.”
Another participant requested for a photograph, Osaka mentioned, including: “I hope it was a positive picture [and] it wasn’t, like, ‘Oh, my God, look at her.’ For me, when I put on the outfit, it’s almost like a super suit, so I try to channel that.”
Her matchup towards Ostapenko marked the primary time two previous main champs confronted off within the opening spherical on the US Open since Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova 5 years in the past. Another such contest got here Tuesday night time, when 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin beat 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
“Having two wins here means a lot, and I think for me, I’ve been struggling with confidence throughout the year,” mentioned Osaka, who returned to motion on the Australian Open in January, her first Grand Slam look in practically 1½ years. “This time now forces me to look in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, you’ve done really well here. There’s no reason why you can’t do well again.'”
Osaka didn’t make a single unforced error within the first set and completed with solely 5, 16 fewer than Ostapenko.
“I do remember thinking, ‘I need to win this match so I can wear my other color.’ That was very important to me,” mentioned Osaka, who’s ranked 88th and obtained a wild-card invitation from the United States Tennis Association. “I guess you’ll see my other color next time.”
Next time can be Thursday towards 2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova, a 6-3, 7-5 winner towards Katie Volynets of the U.S.
Swiatek had a harder time in her match than Osaka, edging Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 7-6 (6) regardless of 41 unforced errors. The 2022 champion was one level from being compelled to a 3rd set when Rakhimova, who was added to the primary draw as a fortunate loser after one other participant pulled out injured, took a 6-3 lead within the tiebreaker.
But Swiatek recovered and gained the subsequent 5 factors, ending the match when her opponent missed a backhand.
“At the beginning [I felt] good, but then I got a little bit tight and my opponent used it, so I was trying to get back to my game,” Swiatek mentioned in her postmatch on-court interview. “I’ve just been trying to adjust to the courts, haven’t practiced a lot, so this time I just wanted to feel how it is on Arthur Ashe [Stadium]. … I’m pretty sure day by day I am going to get more and more rhythm.”
Swiatek improved to 22-1 in first-round matches at Grand Slams, together with 6-0 on the US Open. She will subsequent face Ena Shibahara, a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (6) winner over Daria Saville.
Other girls shifting into the second spherical included previous main champions Elena Rybakina, Caroline Wozniacki and Sofia Kenin. But No. 11 Danielle Collins’ Grand Slam singles profession ended with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to Caroline Dolehide in an all-American matchup. The 30-year-old Collins is retiring after this season.
Another American who just lately introduced her retirement, Shelby Rogers, was scheduled to face No. 6 Jessica Pegula within the night.
ESPN Stats & Information, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.