Naomi Osaka put her Paris Olympics disappointment behind her as she eased to the next round of the Canadian Open in a straight-sets win over Ons Jabeur.

Osaka fell at the first hurdle to Angelique Kerber at Roland-Garros last month, but was back to her best as she emerged a 6-3 6-1 victor in Toronto. 

The four-time grand slam champion wasted no time in stamping her authority on proceedings, earning a two break points to take a 3-0 lead early on. 

And that would prove decisive, with the world number 95 seeing out the rest of her service games, closing out the first set with a love game. 

Jabeur would have no response to Osaka's stunning display, with the Japanese finding another pivotal break before winning the remaining three games to confirm the win. 

Osaka will face Elise Mertens in the round of 32 after the Belgian beat Katie Volynets in straight sets earlier in the day. 

Data Debrief: Osaka over Olympics disappointment

Having suffered disappointment in Paris, Osaka responded in emphatic style upon her return to the court and will want to continue that momentum moving forward. 

Osaka converted all three of the break points she had, winning all eight of her service games. 

It proved to be a difficult day at the office for Jabeur, who uncharacteristcally served seven double faults throughout the contest compared to Osaka's four. 

Naomi Osaka quipped she has been "stalking" Iga Swiatek after her first-round defeat at the Olympics.

Four-time grand slam champion Osaka, now ranked at world number 95, lost in straight sets to Germany's Angelique Kerber on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris.

Former world number one Osaka returned to tennis earlier this year after giving birth in July 2023.

Now she hopes she can climb back up the rankings by watching others on the tour, and world number one Swiatek has been high on her list.

"I was stalking Iga. I was watching her practice at the Olympics, and for me, that's something I want to do more, watch the great players, because there's always something I can pick up on," Osaka told reporters ahead of the Canadian Open.

"I know she has one of the best footwork skills on the WTA. I'm just trying to copy a little bit." 

The Japanese player found her Olympics experience more enjoyable than three years ago at her home Games, where she lit the Olympic flame.

"I would say in Tokyo [2020], I was definitely really stressed. In Paris, I felt a lot more fun. And obviously there were spectators there, so it was a lot different," reflected the 26-year-old.

"In Paris, I felt a lot more fun. And obviously there were spectators there, so it was a lot different. But I didn't stay in the village, so that is something that I regret a little bit, not to have the full experience. Overall, I think it was it was fun. Hopefully, I can play in LA [in 2028]."

Osaka has naturally faced challenges in her return to sport following pregnancy, which has made her presence at the Olympics a year on from giving birth impressive in itself.

"Honestly, after pregnancy, I wasn't really sure how my movement would be," said Osaka.

"I remember being on the track at UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles] and almost crying in frustration because I felt like I couldn't run as fast as I wanted to.

"It felt like I was in a body suit that was not performing the way I wanted. Now, to be here, is a really incredible achievement."

Having a daughter has also given Osaka a new outlook on her sport.

"I lost in the Olympics, I was, of course, really devastated," she explained. "But I was just surrounded by my team.

"Then I went back home, and I saw my daughter, and she's just happy to be alive. She's happy that I'm her mom and it just gave me a lot of motivation.

"I feel like when I was younger I was searching for my purpose in life. The way I grew up, my only purpose was tennis. Then obviously taking the year that I had as a break, it let me see that there are so many different things in life and it's a beautiful world."

Angelique Kerber breezed into the second round at the Paris Olympic Games with a straight-sets win over Naomi Osaka.

In her final tournament, the German kept her hopes of going out on a high alive, getting a 7-5 6-3 victory in just 69 minutes at the end of a rainy opening day at Roland Garros.

Osaka started strongly, racing into a 3-1 lead, but Kerber fought back and eventually got the vital break in the penultimate game of the set to edge in front.

The two were evenly matched again at the start of the second, but Osaka struggled to maintain her high level and lost her serve twice at the end as Kerber's four-game winning run carried her over the line.

Kerber will now face Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in the second round.

Data Debrief: Going for gold

Kerber won a silver medal in singles at Rio 2016, and she is looking to sign off her glittering career by going one better in Paris.

She asserted her dominance in the second set, particularly, winning 13 of 14 points when she got her first delivery into play.

Kerber also bows out holding a 5-2 head-to-head record over Osaka, who once again struggled on clay.

Rafael Nadal could face Novak Djokovic in a heavyweight second-round match at the Paris Olympic Games after the draws for the tennis tournaments were made on Thursday.

Nadal is widely expected to retire from tennis later this year, with the Olympics set to represent his swansong at Roland-Garros, where he has won 14 French Open titles.

He will play in both the singles and doubles tournaments, partnering current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz for the latter competition.

Nadal and Alcaraz will face Argentina's fourth-seeded pair Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in a difficult first-round matchup in the doubles tournament.

Nadal is one of just two players to have won Olympic gold in both singles and doubles since the sport returned to the Games in 1988, doing so at Beijing 2008 (singles) and Rio 2016 (doubles) – Nicolas Massu triumphed over both events at Athens 2004.

In the singles, Nadal will take on Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the opening round, and the prize could be a second-round date with Djokovic, who faces Australian Matthew Ebden first.

 

They are on the same side of the draw as third seed Alexander Zverev, who faces Jaume Munar first, and seventh seed Taylor Fritz, who opens against Alexander Bublik.

On the opposite side of the bracket, Alcaraz will start his campaign against Hady Habib, with Britain's Cameron Norrie a potential second-round opponent.

Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev faces Rinky Hijikata in his first match, while fifth seed Alex de Minaur is a potential quarter-final opponent for Alcaraz.

Britain's Andy Murray withdrew from the singles event to concentrate on his doubles bid alongside Dan Evans on Thursday, and the duo will face Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel of Japan first.

Should they advance, home favourites Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert could await in round two, with Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul potential quarter-final foes, though the Americans will have to overcome Canada's Milos Raonic and Felix Auger Aliassime to get that far.

Murray and Evans cannot face Nadal and Alcaraz until the final. 

Iga Swiatek is the strong favourite in the women's draw, having won four French Open titles on the Paris clay. Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu is her round-one opponent.

On her same side of the draw, there is a huge round-one clash between Naomi Osaka and 2016 silver medallist Angelique Kerber, who announced on Thursday that she will retire after the Games.

Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins are also on that side of the draw, while Coco Gauff starts against Ajla Tomljanovic on the opposite side of the bracket.

Former world number Naomi Osaka was outclassed in the Wimbledon second round as in-form Emma Navarro eased to a straight-sets victory on Wednesday.

Osaka was unconvincing in an opening-round win over 53rd-ranked Diane Parry before Navarro, the 19th seed at the All England Club, proved too strong on Centre Court.

Navarro never faced a break point in a one-sided showdown, triumphing 6-4 6-1 in just under an hour against the four-time major champion.

The 23-year-old was offered a glorious opportunity in the first set at 3-3 when Osaka fired four straight unforced errors to hand Navarro the advantage.

A poor volley attempt spelt the end for Osaka in the second set as Navarro cruised home in quick time with 16 winners and only five unforced errors.

Navarro has now reached the third round at all three majors this year as Diana Shnaider, who cruised past 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens on the same day, awaits for her next clash in SW19.

Data Debrief: Osaka's grass-court struggles persist

Osaka has now never beaten a top-20 player on grass courts in six attempts, with this another reminder of Navarro's ruthless quality.

This was her first appearance on Wimbledon's famed Centre Court, yet Navarro never looked troubled in a routine triumph.

A tougher test will follow in the third round, however, as Shnaider has downed Navarro twice this year, most recently just last week in the Bad Homburg Open semi-finals en route to winning the tournament.

Coco Gauff continued her serene start at Wimbledon with an emphatic victory over Anca Todoni in the second round.

Having dropped just three games in her first-round win two days ago, Gauff was similarly dominant as she triumphed 6-2 6-1 on Court One in just 66 minutes.

Gauff did not drop serve in Wednesday's match and was particularly ruthless while closing out victory in the second set.

The second seed's section of the draw opened up nicely after Sorana Cirstea suffered an early exit, and she will play an unseeded opponent again in round three, either Sonay Kartal or Clara Burel.

Data Debrief: Gauff in fine form

Gauff has become an established grand slam performer and is one of only four players on the WTA Tour with more than 50 major wins since the start of 2020. This was her 51st.

The American needs just one more of those wins to match her previous best Wimbledon result, having reached the fourth round twice before, in 2019 and 2021.

But given her current momentum, Gauff will have bigger ambitions than that. 

While anything other than victories would have been stunning upsets across the first two rounds, the emphatic nature of her wins over Caroline Dolehide and qualifier Todoni will come as a huge boost.

Gauff has only been broken once across her two matches so far, and she won 17 of her 20 first-serve points in this match.

Naomi Osaka made a winning return to Wimbledon after holding off Diane Parry to win a tense deciding set.

Osaka had not played at Wimbledon since 2019 until Monday's contest and last won a match at the All England Club in 2018.

But the Japanese star, playing in the tournament as a wild card, battled to a round-one victory over Parry, winning 6-1 1-6 6-4 in a topsy-turvy encounter on No.2 Court.

Osaka looked in trouble after following up an emphatic first set with a poor second that saw Parry seize control.

Four-time major winner Osaka then lost her first two service games of the decider and trailed 3-1, but battled back to win five of the last six games and claim victory.

Data Debrief: Opportunity knocks for Osaka

On a dramatic day in the women’s singles which saw seeds Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova all withdraw from the tournament, Osaka is a big name who will be in round two.

While a meeting with either Wang Qiang or Emma Navarro is unlikely to be straightforward, Osaka will have her sights on not only reaching the second week, which she has never done before, but also making an impact if she gets there.

There was plenty to like about her aggressive approach against Parry, and she racked up 34 winners, but Osaka also has plenty to work on. She lacked fluency with her serving, as only 35 of 75 first serves (47%) landed in, often leaving her on the back foot.

Still, winning a deciding set in her first grand slam match since the painful defeat to Iga Swiatek at the French Open will have come as a huge relief, with that Paris disappointment still fresh in the memory.

Emma Raducanu is one of a record four former grand slam champions to get wild cards into the women's singles draw at Wimbledon.

Raducanu missed most of last year, including Wimbledon, after being forced to undergo wrist and ankle surgeries.

The 2021 US Open champion has slipped to 165th in the WTA rankings after enduring a difficult few years, and she was beaten by fellow Brit and eventual champion Katie Boulter in the Nottingham Open semi-finals on Sunday.

Raducanu is one of an unprecedented four former major champions to be handed wild cards for the women's draw by the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.

Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber, who won the 2018 edition of Wimbledon, have all been granted entry.

All seven wild cards for the men's singles draw, meanwhile, have gone to British players, Liam Broady chief among them.

The third grand slam of 2024 gets under way on July 1, with the women's singles final being held on July 13 and the men's showpiece taking place the following day.

Naomi Osaka bowed out of the Berlin Open after falling short in a three-set thriller against an inspired serving display from Zheng Qinwen.

The former world number one battled, but ultimately came up short for the second time in two weeks, enduring a 6-4 3-6 6-3 defeat. 

The Japanese found herself a set down following a break point claimed in the fifth game by her opponent but rallied in the second to take the encounter to a deciding set. 

However, Zheng, who served 10 aces in the final set, proved too powerful for Osaka to secure a second victory over the Japanese after two hours and 10 minutes at the Steffi Graf Stadium.

Zheng will play Katerina Siniakova in the last 16 on Wednesday, with either Jessica Pegula or Donna Vekic awaiting should she progress. 

Data Debrief: Acing it

The victory for Zheng saw her serve 23 aces against Osaka, the highest tally in a single WTA match since Rebecca Marino vs Caroline Garcia in Guadalajara in 2022 (24).

Her success with her serving saw Zheng win 88 per cent of her first serve points, winning 44 of 50 during the match. 

Naomi Osaka bowed out of the Berlin Open after falling short in a three-set thriller against an inspired serving display from Zheng Qinwen.

The former world number one battled, but ultimately came up short for the second time in two weeks, enduring a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 defeat. 

The Japanese found herself a set down following a break point claimed in the fifth game by her opponent but rallied in the second to take the encounter to a deciding set. 

However, Qinwen, who served 10 aces in the final set, proved too powerful for Osaka to secure a second victory over Osaka after two hours and 10 minutes at the Steffi Graf Stadium.

Qinwen will play Katerina Siniakova in the last 16 of June 19, with either Jessica Pegula or Donna Vekic awaiting should she progress. 

Data Debrief:

The victory for Zheng saw her serve 23 aces against Osaka, the highest tally in a single WTA match since Rebecca Marino vs Caroline Garcia in Guadalajara in 2022 (24).

Her success with her serving saw Zheng win 88 per cent of her first serve points, winning 44 of 50 during the match. 

Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Libema Open despite fighting to a tie-break in the final set, with Bianca Andreescu progressing to the semi-finals after a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) win.

Osaka's match was interrupted by rain early on with her in the lead, but Andreescu came back out in top form to take the first set.

The Japanese raced through the second though, taking a 5-0 lead before holding off Andreescu's fightback to go into a decider.

Despite an impressive comeback to force a tie-break in the final set, Osaka became sloppy, with her mistakes contributing to the Canadian's path into the semi-final, where she will face Dalma Galfi.

Elsewhere, Alex de Minaur is through to the semi-finals after a comfortable straight-sets victory over Milos Raonic.

Despite a long break due to bad weather, the Australian eased into the next round with a 7-5, 6-2 victory on Friday.

He will face either Ugo Humbert or Gijs Brouwer in the next round.

Data Debrief: Osaka not close enough, De Minaur in cruise control

Despite winning more points (98 compared to 94), and winning more games (16 to 15), Osaka could not hold her nerve in the tie-break to reach the semi-finals.

Competing as the top seed for the first time in his tour-level career, De Minaur felt no pressure as he rallied in the second set to ensure Raonic would not find a way back into the match, winning his last five games in a row on his way to victory. 

Naomi Osaka will play Bianca Andreescu in the Libema Open quarter-finals after a commanding straight-sets victory over Suzan Lamens.

The four-time major winner took just 54 minutes to wrap up a 6-2 6-2 win over her Dutch opponent in t'Hertogenbosch.

Osaka looked sharp as she sought her second WTA quarter-final appearance of the season, having also reached that stage in Doha four months ago.

The Japanese hit 21 winners to 13 unforced errors, while converting four out of five break points against the world number 140.

Next up for Osaka is a showdown with 2019 US Open champion Andreescu in the last eight.

Data Debrief: Osaka storms into first grass-court quarter-final in six years

It was a dominant display by Osaka, who hit nine aces and won 15 of her 17 points on first serve (88.2 per cent).

The four-time major winner subsequently advanced to her first WTA quarter-final on grass since the 2018 Nottingham Open.

Naomi Osaka put her French Open disappointment behind her to advance to the next round of the Libema Open after beating Elise Mertens in straight sets. 

The 26-year-old had match point against eventual winner Iga Swiatek in the second round at Roland-Garros but failed to capitalise. However, that defeat was put to the back of her mind, winning 6-2 6-4 in the Netherlands. 

Mertens matched Osaka in the opening exchanges, but the Japanese would rally to take control and win the next three games to secure an early advantage. 

She showed signs of frustration in the second set as the Belgian threatened to take the encounter to a deciding set, but Osaka remained composed to see out the victory. 

Osaka will now face either Bernarda Pera or Suzan Lamens in the next round. 

Data Debrief: Osaka wins maiden grass encounter against Mertens

Osaka's victory saw her win 28 of her 31 first-serve points, accumulating to a 90 per cent success rate. 

The Japanese claimed her fifth victory over Mertens since their first meeting in Wuhan in 2019, but her triumph was the first encounter between the pair on a grass court. 

Iga Swiatek marked her 23rd birthday with a straight-sets victory over Marie Bouzkova at the French Open on Friday, maintaining her charge for a third successive Roland-Garros title.

Swiatek was pushed all the way by Naomi Osaka in her second-round match on Wednesday, but she enjoyed a far more serene outing on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the third round.

The world number one raced to a 6-4 6-2 win as Bouzkova struggled to match her heavy-hitting, and she could even afford to surrender one of her two breaks at the tail end of the opener.

Swiatek broke immediately at the start of the second set, setting the tone for a powerful finish to the match, her victory fittingly sealed with a thumping forehand up the line.

She will face Anastasia Potapova next up after the Russian overcame Wang Xinyu in three sets on Friday.

Data Debrief: Perfect celebration for Swiatek

Since the WTA rankings were first published in 1975, only two world number ones have won a match at Roland Garros on their birthday, Justine Henin in 2007 and Swiatek on Friday.

She is also the only player this century to reach the fourth round of the women's draw on each of her first six French Open appearances. 

French Open spectators will no longer be able to consume alcohol from the stands, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has revealed.

The move has been made in a bid to end unruly behaviour within the crowd following a couple of incidents at Roland-Garros this week.

Reigning women's champion Iga Swiatek pleaded for supporters to keep quiet during points after her second-round victory over Naomi Osaka, while David Goffin had chewing gum spat at him in his win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

While alcohol will still be available on the concourses, Mauresmo says there will be tougher security measures in place to identify offenders, while umpires are encouraged to be stricter when calling for respect "to the players and to the game".

"First of all, we are happy people are very enthusiastic about watching tennis and being part of the matches, showing feeling and emotions," the tournament director said.

"But there are definitely steps which shouldn't go further. A few things have needed to be put in place. Alcohol has been allowed up until now in the stands - but that's over."

"Overstepping these two things is not something we will tolerate. If people want to show emotion, that's great and see how it happens. I'm an optimist and I think people will react in a good way. If not, we will take more measures."

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