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Osaka hadn't played since losing in the first round of the
French Open. She sat out the subsequent grass-court season,
including Wimbledon, because of an Achilles injury.
Osaka, the 2018 and 2020 U.S. Open champion, put less than half
of her first serves in play against Zheng but came through when
it mattered, saving 7 of 8 break points. Osaka had an 11-3 edge
in aces, and Zheng amassed more double faults, 7-2.
In other first-round action, ninth-seeded Veronika Kudermetova
of Russia eked out a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-5 win over Italy's Camila
Giorgi. The United States' Shelby Rogers downed Canada's Bianca
Andreescu 6-4, 6-2, and Caroline Dolehide won an all-U.S.
matchup against Kayla Day 7-6 (5), 6-4. Another American, Claire
Liu, dispatched Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 7-5
Sixth-seeded Coco Gauff of the United States cruised past
Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina 6-1, 6-0.
Citi Open
Second-seeded Emma Raducanu of Great Britain opened her summer
hard-court season with a 6-4, 6-2 over the United States' Louisa
Chirico in Washington.
Raducanu, 19, last played at Wimbledon, where she lost in the
second round to France's Caroline Garcia.
Chirico, ranked 216th in the world, didn't help her cause by
committing eight double faults while firing just one ace.
Raducanu, the reigning U.S. Open champion, had three aces and no
double faults.
Other first-round winners included fourth-seeded Victoria
Azarenka of Belarus, Russia's Anna Kalinskaya, Australia's Ajla
Tomljanovic, the Czech Republic's Tereza Martincova, China's
Xiyu Wang and Colombia's Camila Osorio. Germany's Andrea
Petkovic upset eighth-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark 6-2, 6-2.
--Field Level Media
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