Naomi Osaka added her eighth consecutive win at the China Open in Beijing after beating Yulia Putinsteva in the second round of the tournament.
Osaka had a busy few weeks since the US Open because she parted ways with her coach, Wim Fissette. Her new coach is none other than Patrick Mouratoglou, so there was a lot of curiosity about how the Japanese player could possibly do at the China Open, which is her first event under him.
She started well, beating Lucia Bronzetti in two sets and admitting after the match that the partnership has been going well so far. The first proper test for her was Yulia Putintseva, who is not only a tricky player to play but also a very tough matchup for Osaka due to her playstyle.
As an aggressive baseliner, Osaka might struggle against the Kazakhstani, who moves really well and is excellent at dealing with aggressive baseliners. It showed in this match as well because the Kazakhstani player won the opening set 6-3, as Osaka was not able to hit through as well as she wanted to.
On her own serve, the former World No. 1 struggled to serve well, giving Putintseva plenty of looks on the second serve. She used that greatly, creating 5 break chances overall and converting two of those.
On her own serve, Putintseva faced no issues at all, barely losing any points and allowing zero break points. It wasn't the best set from Osaka, and she could certainly do much better, which she showed in the second set.
In the second set, Osaka broke first, and it seemed like she finally found a way to hit through Putintseva. It worked for a while, but eventually, the Kazakhstani player broke her back.
That was very annoying for the Japanese player because she really needed that second set as her confidence has been all over the place this year. Sometimes, she looks very confident in her game, but then she suddenly starts doubting herself.
She held up really well in this match because when a 3-1 lead became a 3-4 deficit, Osaka held her serve without too many issues, avoiding further complications. Winning the set, though, wouldn't be easy, as Putintseva was playing inspired tennis after breaking back.
Still, Osaka managed to get it done, breaking at 4-4 to take a 5-4 lead and then winning the second set 6-4. The final set was, naturally, crucial for both players, especially Osaka, who desperately needed a good run.
She didn’t disappoint in the final set, outplaying her opponent and taking a double-break 3-0 lead, which she didn't lose. Osaka won the trophy in Beijing the last time she played in 2019, so with this win, she's on an eight-match winning streak in Beijing.
The final score was 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 for Osaka, who lost one of the breaks, but broke once more to win the match comfortably. After the match, she was really proud of the fight she put up.
"I just told myself to keep fighting, and I don't know, it would be a little injustice to myself to not try as hard as I can, so I just tried to dig deep."
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