Osaka overcomes set deficit in Wuhan return
Naomi Osaka digs deep against a past conqueror, turning the tide with sharper returns to launch her Wuhan campaign on a high note amid a swirling field of contenders and setbacks.
In the humid air of Wuhan’s center court, Naomi Osaka faced a ghost from her past on Tuesday, dropping the first set before rallying to defeat Leylah Fernandez 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the opening round of the WTA’s 1,000-level Wuhan Open. Returning to this central Chinese venue for the first time since 2017, the four-time Grand Slam champion absorbed an early jolt from the player who stunned her in the 2021 U.S. Open semifinals, the hard-court echoes amplifying the stakes. As the afternoon sun beat down, Osaka’s power began to reshape the match, her baseline authority emerging through the tension of a selective season balancing elite play and personal life.
First set exposes early vulnerabilities
Fernandez seized the opener with poise, converting one of her two breakpoint chances through sharp crosscourt winners that forced Osaka into defensive scrambles on the medium-paced plexicushion surface. The Canadian’s serve held steady, her first-delivery percentage keeping points short and errors low, while low slices skidded to disrupt the Japanese player’s rhythm. Osaka’s returns started tentative, her inside-out forehands lacking depth initially, as the crowd’s growing murmurs underscored the pressure of reclaiming form in a familiar yet distant arena.
This early dominance tested Osaka‘s resolve, her mind navigating the weight of that 2021 upset, but subtle probes down the line hinted at adjustments brewing beneath the surface.
Return aggression ignites second-set turnaround
Osaka stepped inside the baseline in the second, unleashing deeper returns that shattered Fernandez‘s service rhythm, leading to five breaks in a frame of traded heavy groundstrokes and prolonged rallies averaging over eight shots. Her flat backhands sliced down the line to even the score, while inside-in forehands opened angles that taxed the Canadian’s movement, flipping the psychological momentum from years prior. Fernandez countered with a solid one–two of serve and forehand, mixing underspin to approach the net, yet Osaka’s improved footwork turned defense into decisive offense, her confidence surging as the set tilted 7-5.
The shift reflected Osaka’s hard-court affinity, where her topspin thrives amid true bounces, bolstering a win rate nearing 80 percent this season despite intermittent appearances.
Decider anchors victory in shifting draw
Carrying the surge into the third, Osaka broke early with cleaner lines, her crosscourt backhands setting up inside-out winners that Fernandez struggled to retrieve, closing the 6-3 finish in under two hours. The Canadian’s consistency faded under the pressure, unforced errors mounting as the match’s intensity peaked, allowing the former world No. 1 to exhale with a forehand winner that sealed her advance. This triumph, a mental milestone, positions her for deeper progression in the Asian swing’s demanding humidity.
Elsewhere, Emma Raducanu trailed Ann Li 6-1, 4-1 before retiring from their first-round match due to dizziness, highlighting the physical grind on these courts. Sofia Kenin grinded out a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Anastasia Zakharova, earning a matchup with No. 16 Liudmila Samsonova, who dispatched Emiliana Arango 6-1, 7-5 through efficient serving. No. 2 Iga Swiatek geared up for her Wuhan debut against Marie Bouzkova in the night session, where cooler air could sharpen her patterns, while top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 Coco Gauff prepared to ignite Wednesday’s action. No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, runner-up at both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon this year after winning the China Open, withdrew citing a left calf muscle injury, thinning the field and widening paths for resurgent talents like Osaka to build momentum toward the season’s close.