Osaka overcomes spirited Gibson to reach Wimbledon second round

Japan Times

4 days ago

Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka overcame some first-round jitters to survive a scrap with Australian qualifier Talia Gibson and advance at Wimbledon with a battling 6-4 7-6(4) first-round win on Monday.
Osaka may have no great love for Wimbledon's lawns, having never got past the third round at the grass-court major, but she had enough quality and fight to subdue a spirited Gibson.
With the evening shadow spilling across Court 18 to take the sting out of what had been a ferociously hot day, former world No. 1 Osaka had to fight back in both sets against the Aussie.
Yet after a second-round loss last year, the threat of another early exit was seemingly enough for the Japanese player to find extra gears when it mattered most.
"I think just making my match today, playing someone that I've never played before, and also getting over the first-round nerves was a little tricky," she told reporters. "I'm glad that I did it, and I hope that I have many more matches to come."
Gibson was spraying winners around the court when she broke to go 3-1 up, but Osaka took stock and upped the pressure, breaking back to level at 3-3 and then again to take the first set as the Australian's error count soared.
Gibson, the world No. 126, could have crumbled at that point, but instead she dug in, breaking for a 4-3 lead before a roller-coaster finale.
The Australian, who was making her main draw debut, twice served for the set but was denied both times as Osaka conjured crucial breaks to force a tiebreak, where her extra class told.
Osaka's form has been erratic since she returned after her maternity break at the start of last year, but there had been glimmers of hope for the current world No. 53.
She reached the Australian Open third round in January before retiring injured and made the fourth round at the 1,000-level events in Miami and Rome this year.
Yet Osaka suffered a first-round loss at the French Open and has not had back-to-back wins on any surface since the Italian Open in May.
If she is to end that run at Wimbledon, the Japanese player will need to overcome either Katerina Siniakova or fifth-seeded Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the second round.
Osaka will need to show more of that battling spirit if she is to find some form on a surface she admits does not bring out the best in her game.
"I know the grass season hasn't been particularly amazing for me this year, but I'm really happy with how much I fight every match. No matter what or no matter how I think I play, I feel like the mentality is pretty solid."