Tennis
Naomi Osaka back in quarters
(Miami) Naomi Osaka, 77and world, dominated Monday Alison Riske (50and) 6-3, 6-4, thus qualifying for the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 in Miami, like last year.
To try to climb into the last four, the Japanese will face another American, Danielle Collins (11and), finalist of the last Australian Open and who eliminated the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (10and) 6-2, 6-4.
After obviously dealing with moments of frustration against Riske, the player who had been plagued with psychological problems for months concluded the game and let a big smile light up her face.
“Last year too I went to the quarters, but I didn’t feel well. This time, I live funny moments in my life, ”commented the ex-N. 1 worldwide.
The start of the match suggested that she was going to have to fight a long fight, she who had benefited from the withdrawal of the Czech Karolina Muchova, victim of abdominal pain, to reach the 8are of final.
After a very long first game on her serve (10 minutes), won on her third opportunity with an ace not without saving 4 break points, the Japanese quickly broke away 3-0.
She then had 5 set points on Riske’s serve, but the American won her face-off to come back at 5-3 and force her opponent to serve to win the set. Which was just a formality.
In the second set, Riske quickly made the break, but could not confirm his advantage. And Osaka regained control of the game by winning four games in a row. After missing a first match point on her opponent’s serve, the Japanese, four times Grand Slam titleholder, won on her face-off.
Plagued by recurring anxiety problems, she tries to find her highest level, as much as pleasure on the court.
Osaka revealed that she “started working with a therapist”, after wiping away a few tears ten days ago in Indian Wells where a spectator shouted “Naomi, you suck”.
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Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.