Naomi Osaka survives scare to defeat Yuliia Starodubtseva in Miami first round

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka staged a comeback to defeat Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva with scores of 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday, advancing to the second round of the Miami Open.

This victory marked Osaka's first match win since her participation in the Australian Open, where she retired in the third round due to an abdominal injury while trailing against Belinda Bencic.

Osaka recovered from a first-round defeat to Camila Osorio at Indian Wells, a match she described as the "worst match I've ever played in my life."

On Tuesday, she expressed that she had gained valuable insights from that disappointing experience.

"(In Indian Wells) I was just over-hitting a lot, so I tried to use my legs," she said in her on-court interview.

"I was going to run into every corner if I had to, and we were going to have to play for three hours if she was going to beat me."

Osaka secured her victory in two hours and 28 minutes, making a remarkable comeback after losing the first five games.

Starodubtseva initially held a 4-2 lead in the second set; however, Osaka's impressive performance, highlighted by 10 aces, enabled her to regain control. She dominated the third set as she aimed for her first title in the city she regards as her US home. In 2022, she finished as the runner-up to Iga Swiatek, marking her best performance at the Miami Open.

Next, Osaka will compete against 24th seed Liudmila Samsonova. The 27-year-old is still working to regain her top form after taking a 15-month hiatus last year following the birth of her daughter, Shai, in 2023.

Her year began on a positive note when she reached her first final since 2022 in Auckland, but she had to withdraw due to an abdominal injury while leading that match and subsequently faced another withdrawal in Melbourne.

SportsLigue