NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 24: Naomi Osaka of Japan cools down between games against Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic during the Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 24, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City.
NEW YORK: Fourth-seeded Naomi Osaka of Japan battled back to beat Karolina Muchova 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2 yesterday and reach the third round of the Western & Southern Open.
Osaka, ranked 10th in the world, was playing her first match since the WTA resumed after a coronavirus hiatus.
The tournament was moved this year from Cincinnati to the National Tennis Centre in New York to allow players to enter the same quarantine bubble that will be in effect for the US Open starting on August 31.
Osaka will face another tough challenge in the third round against 16th-seeded Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, who beat American Bernarda Pera 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3 on Monday after downing seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the first round.
