Osaka clubs her way into Australian Open second round

[January 15, 2019]  MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Japan's Naomi Osaka clubbed her way into the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday night, beating Poland's Magda Linette 6-4 6-2.

It was Osaka's first Grand Slam match since her breakthrough U.S. Open triumph last year, which was partly overshadowed by a row between her opponent Serena Williams and umpire Carlos Ramos.

While Linette, ranked 80, tried to mitigate her rival's power by standing up near the baseline during exchanges and avoid getting pushed too far back, she was ultimately overcome by her bigger-hitting rival.

Osaka, the fourth seed, will play 21-year-old Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia in the second round.

(Reporting by Jonathan Barrett in MELBOURNE; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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Japan’s Naomi Osaka in action during the match against Poland’s Magda Linette. REUTERS/Aly Song