Sloane Stephens of the U.S. performs a shot in her match towards Elise Mertens of Belgium through the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, on Jan. 3, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
A loss did not trouble Naomi Osaka on the Brisbane International as a lot as the missed alternative for extra matches forward of the Australian Open.
The four-time main winner’s first tournament since changing into a mom ended in a 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 second-round loss Wednesday to three-time Brisbane International champion Karolina Pliskova.
Osaka received her first match on the elite stage since late 2022 on Monday in straight units towards Tamara Korpatsch.
After that win, she stated the delivery in July of her daughter, Shai, and the modifications to her mindset since changing into a mom had given her a higher perspective on tennis.
A second-round encounter that includes two former No. 1-ranked gamers was a step up in tempo and a higher indication of how Osaka’s preparations are going for the Australian Open, the yr’s first Grand Slam occasion, beginning Jan. 14 in Melbourne.
“The week is definitely shorter than I wanted it to be,” Osaka stated. “I feel like I’m pretty good where I am right now. Even the last time I played her, I think I played better today.”
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic hits a return throughout her ladies’s singles match towards Naomi Osaka of Japan on the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on January 3, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Osaka received the first set however Pliskova recovered and fired 16 aces and hit 50 winners, saving 10 of the 12 breakpoint probabilities she confronted and making amends for her 11 double-faults.
“I saw the stats after and my break points could have been better,” Osaka said, “but I think other than that we both played really well … so hopefully she says the same thing!”
A former finalist at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open now ranked thirty ninth, the 31-year-old Pliskova was taking part in for the first time since September after a left wrist damage curtailed her 2023 season.
“A lot of things to improve, but a good start,” stated Pliskova, who had her left wrist and hand taped for the opening match of the day on Pat Rafter Arena.
She’ll subsequent play third-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Camila Giorgi 6-1, 6-4.
Top seed and defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka had a 6-3, 6-0 win over Lucia Bronzetti and can face Zhu Li, a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7) winner over Danielle Collins, in the Round of 16.
Second-seeded Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, had a 6-4, 6-1 win over Olivia Gadecki and can subsequent play No. 13 Elise Mertens, who beat 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
On the boys’s aspect, top-seeded Holger Rune beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the night time match to advance to a quarterfinal towards Australian qualifier James Duckworth. Fourth-seeded Ugo Humbert had a 6-4, 6-4 win over Alex Michelsen in a first-round match.
Osaka’s subsequent match can be an exhibition in Melbourne on Rod Laver Arena, the primary court docket for the Australian Open, subsequent week.
She was glad along with her serve towards Pliskova, firing 14 aces and simply two double-faults, and profitable 83% of factors when she bought her first serve into play.
“I’ve trained so hard since giving birth, I need to enjoy these moments,” Osaka said, adding she’s changed her attitude to winning and losing since becoming a mom. “I do feel different. I mean, of course I feel sad, but the sadness is me being like, ‘Aww, I wish I could have done better, because I know I’m spending so much time away from her (Shai), so I want it to be worth it somehow.”
Competing in Brisbane proved that every one her apply wasn’t a waste forward of the Australian Open, the place she has received two of her Grand Slam titles.
“For me even stepping on the court is a personal win because a couple of weeks ago I was even doubting if I could play with everyone,” she stated. “So I guess these two matches that I’ve had kind of prove to me that I am doing OK, and the year is just going to get better for me.”
