Naomi Osaka, of Japan, wears a mask in honor of Breonna Taylor as she celebrates after defeating Misaki Doi, of Japan, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Naomi Osaka survived a tricky opening round match against Misaki Doi on Monday evening, eventually winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Osaka, who pulled out of the Cincinnati Masters final with a hamstring injury, showed little sign of the issue as she took the first set with relative ease.
The second set was a different story as Doi’s aggressive serve put pressure on the 2018 Open champion.
Osaka took hold and looked to have it locked up before her opponent forced her into uncharacteristic errors to grab the set and force a final match decider.
And Osaka raced to a 3-1 lead and never looked back.
She extended the lead to 5-2 after a Doi backhand mistake an d took out the match to set up a second round tie against Camila Giorgi.
“She’s very unpredictable for me,” Osaka said, “so I guess I just have to be on my toes.”
Osaka had earlier made a statement, walking to court wearing a mask with the name of Breonna Taylor, a woman shot by police in a drugs raid in Kentucky in March.
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