By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday April 17, 2024

 

Martina Trevisan reeled off nine of the final 11 games to defeat Naomi Osaka in Rouen.

Photo Source: WTA

Naomi Osaka’s return to the clay has started on the back foot.

In her first match on the surface since 2022, the four-time Grand Slam champion fell to Italy’s Martina Trevisan 6-4, 6-2 at the Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole.



Osaka, in the early days of a comeback from maternity lead that commenced in January, was neck and neck with the World No.78 through eight games, but lost the plot late in the opening set and never rediscovered it – 30-year-old Trevisan won nine of the final eleven games to set a round of 16 match with Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina.



Former World No.18 Trevisan saved seven of eight break points and broke Osaka four times from six opportunities to win in 93 minutes.

Osaka has high hopes for her performance on the clay in 2024, but needs to shake off the rust – she had not contested a match on the surface since 2022 Roland Garros. Since 2021 the Japanese star holds a 3-5 record on the surface, and she is 0-7 lifetime against the Top 20 on clay.

Osaka drops to 8-7 overall in 2024. She has climbled to 192 in the rankings from outside of the Top 800 in January.