By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday March 20, 2024
Naomi Osaka pushed her comeback further along on Wednesday at the Miami Open, but Angelique Kerber lost at the first hurdle.
Photo Source: Matthew Calvis
Naomi Osaka locked up the sixth win of her comeback on Wednesday, pushing past 51st-ranked Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy, 6-3, 6-4 in 78 minutes to set a second-round clash with World No.15 Elina Svitolina – the pair have split their six previous meetings
"I remember watching her playing Wimbledon while I was pregnant, and I remember thinking that I want to be there too one day," Osaka said of the impending clash of moms.
Not even nine months removed from the birth of her baby daughter Shai (July 4, 2023), Osaka already sports a 6-5 record on the season. The 2022 Miami Open runner-up is making her seventh career appearance in Miami.
She fired six aces, won 17 of 20 first serve points, and didn’t face a break point despite the fact that she only made 40.8 percent of her first serves.
Osaka broke twice on seven opportunities to defeat Cocciaretto, who has never won a main draw match at Miami in three appearances.
Osaka expressed satisfaction in her form on Wednesday, and appears to be growing her confidence in this the third month of her comeback.
"This is probably the most free that I was able to hit my balls," she said, "the closest to the feeling I want to capture going forward. I would say this is probably my best match in terms of shot-making. I felt like the balls I wanted to hit were there. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with this one."
Birthday Girl Stephens Takes Out Kerber
Angelique Kerber, another new mom coming back from maternity leave (daugher Liana born last February), showed signs of top form during her run to the round of 16 at Indian Wells, but the German could not keep her momentum going in Miami as she was dispatched by American Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 6-3.
The 2017 US Open champion improves to 6-2 overall against Kerber with the win.
Stephens, the 2018 Miami Open champion, will play Sorana Cirstea, the No.19 seed, in the second round.
But not before she celebrates her 31st birthday in style.
In other action on Wednesday, Donna Vekic upended former World No.1 Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, while American Katie Volynets defeated Sofia Kenin, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Get all the live scores from the Miami Open here