Naomi Osaka continues first-round dominance at Miami Open

[March 21, 2024]  Japan's Naomi Osaka remained perfect in the first round of the Miami Open, sweeping Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
 
Osaka improved to 7-0 in first-round matches at the event. She needed only 78 minutes to down Cocciaretto, who was at a 6-2 disadvantage in aces and watched as Osaka won 17 of 20 first-serve points.   

Wednesday's victory sets up a second-round meeting between Osaka and No. 15 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

"I was watching (Svitolina) last year and I was admiring all her runs in Wimbledon," Osaka said. "It's gonna be ... a really incredible honor to play against her."

Osaka is starting to find a groove following her return from maternity leave. She dropped three of four matches to begin the year but has since gone 5-2.

Sloane Stephens of the United States also had reason to celebrate on Wednesday, defeating Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-3 on her 31st birthday. Stephens converted 4 of 8 break points in the victory.

"A very great day at the office," said Stephens, who won a title at Miami in 2018. "I feel like I had the biggest party ever, and you guys all came out."

Stephens was one of five Americans to come away with a win, joining Katie Volynets, Shelby Rogers, Danielle Collins and Claire Liu. Volynets and Collins prevailed in all-American matches, ousting Sofia Kenin and Bernarda Pera, respectively.

Rogers earned a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over the Czech Republic's Linda Fruhvirtova, and Liu knocked off Croatia's Petra Martic, 6-4, 6-1. For Rogers, it was her first tour-level victory since April 2023 when she the No. 33 seed at the Mutua Madrid Open.

"I'm not getting any younger, so every match I play now is really special," said Rogers, 31. "The rehab is hard, coming back, and all these players are so good -- and they're like, half my age."

The United States' Ashlyn Krueger came up short, stumbling to a 6-4, 6-2 setback against Nadia Podoroska of Argentina. Krueger failed to convert all three of her break opportunities.

Other winners Wednesday included Australia's Storm Hunter, Croatia' Donna Vekic, Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova, the Netherlands' Arantxa Rus, Colombia's Emiliana Arango, China's Lin Zhu, Italy's Camila Giorgi and Russians Elina Avanesyan and Maria Timofeeva.

--Field Level Media

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