Naomi Osaka in pre-US Open trouble as she suffers consecutive losses in the first round, knocked out by Zhang Shuai in Cincinnati… but the last time this happened, she won in New York!
Naomi Osaka struggles with fitness and form ahead of this month’s US Open
China’s Zhang Shuai defeated her and later said her opponent was ‘not at her best’
Osaka lost two first-round matches in 2018 before winning the US Open
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If Naomi Osaka is looking for positives from consecutive first-round defeats in North America, at least she can look back on her US Open triumph four years ago.
The last time this happened, Osaka returned to court in Flushing Meadows and brushed everything aside for her – she defeated Serena Williams in the final.
Osaka was easily beaten 6-4, 7-5 at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, losing to China’s Zhang Shuai, who will face Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round.
This was only Osaka’s third tournament to come back from an Achilles tendon injury and it was a stuttering return to action for the two-time US Open champion, who also left the opening round in Toronto last week and retired with lower back pain.
Naomi Osaka suffered more frustration when she was knocked out of the Cincinnati Open
Osaka congratulates Shuai Peng on her win as she suffered consecutive first-round losses
For Zhang, last year’s Cincinnati double champion, it was her first singles win since 2014.
“Naomi, she’s great, but I don’t know if she might not be feeling really well today,” Zhang said. “But especially today—not her best today.”
The first game on Center Court, Japan’s Osaka, started the game with a slow start by making a double fault to give Zhang a break on her opening serve.
That was all the help Zhang needed as she took the first set with the 33-year-old Chinese player and quickly gained the upper hand in the second with an early break to lead 2-1 as Osaka continued to fail.
With Zhang serving for the match at 5-4, Osaka eventually set up an elusive break to tie the set, only for her opponent to immediately break back and regain control.
Osaka also lost in the first round in Toronto last week by suffering a defeat to Kaia Kanepi
Serving for the match for the second time, Zhang did not lose the opportunity again, taking the win with an ace.
Osaka got her serve to work when she put down 10 aces, but not much else, with the four-time Grand Slam winner piling up 29 unforced errors and taking only one of four break opportunities.
Zhang then meets Alexandrova, who was a 6-4, 7-5 winner over 13th-seeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez, who lost last year’s finalist at the US Open.
This year’s major at Flushing Meadows begins August 29 and will come into sharp focus as Serena Williams’ last tournament before her retirement.