Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka battled past Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer 6-0 6-7 6-1 after two hours and nine minutes to reach the third round at the Miami Open. Osaka converted 6 of her 18 break points.
Naomi Osaka fired two huge forehands to get an immediate break. The Japanese player broke twice more and hit nine winners to two unforced errors to take a bagel win in the opening set after 22 minutes.
Seven of the twelve game of the second set went to deuce. Osaka held serve in the second game for 1-1 on her eighth game. The Japanese player saved three break points to draw level to 2-2 before breaking serve for 3-2. Wickmayer broke straight back with a series of of backhand down the line to draw level to 3-3. Wickmayer came back from 0-2 by winning seven of the next eight points to win the tie-break 7-3. The Belgian player hit two aces to earn a set point and converted it, when Osaka netted a backhand.
Osaka went up a break in the second game to take a 3-0 lead. She broke for the second time in the sixth game on her third break point, as Wickmayer made a double fault. The world number 1 player served out to love after two hours and nine minutes.
“It was really hard for me emotionally in the second set because I just started thinking about winning, not exactly the things I could do in order to win. I had a bit of a dip. She was also playing really well. I think between the second and third set I tried to breathe a bit”, said Osaka.
Osaka will face an all-Asian third round match against Hsieh-Su Wei. The Japanese player rallied from a set and 1-4 down at last January’s Australian Open.
Hsieh Su Wei converted six of her 12 break points in her 6-2 7-5 win over Alison Riske after 1 hour and 24 minutes. Riske won three consecutive games to rally from 2-5 down in the second set, bu Hsieh Su Wei got the decisive break in the 12th game on her fourth match point.
