WHAT HAPPENED : After a rough summer season, Naomi Osaka reclaimed her winning form in her US Open first round match to beat German veteran Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-2, despite the oppressive conditions at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday.
“Since I train in Florida, I am kind of used to this heat,“ the No. 20 seed Osaka told the Grandstand fans who filled the shaded upper reaches of the stadium to find some relief from the soaring midday temperatures. “This is a little bit unexpected as I thought it would be a bit cooler in New York.”
With temperatures climbing into the 90s and over 50 percent humidity, ice towels, clothing changes and finding what little shade there was on the court were as important for both players as forehands and backhands during the 78-minute match.
The 20-year-old Osaka is one of the rising stars on the WTA Tour. This spring she made headlines with a stunning run through the Indian Wells field, including victories over world No. 1 Simona Halep and former No.1's Maria Sharapova and Karolina Pliskova to win the prestigious title.
But this summer the Japanese star struggled, with just one win in three hard court tournaments before coming into the Open fortnight.
Possibly because of the harsh playing conditions, the level of play was not high for either player. Osaka made 19 winners, but also had 24 unforced errors and only made 51 percent of her first serves. Siegemund, 30, had six double faults and lost her serve twice in each set. She had just 10 winners against 25 errors.
WHAT IT MEANS: Throughout her career, Osaka has lifted her game during the Grand Slams. She has reached the third round or better in her last five majors, including making the fourth round at the Australian Open earlier this year. At last year’s US Open, she opened the tournament by knocking off defending champion Angelique Kerber.
MATCH POINT: No Japanese man or woman has ever won the US Open singles title. In the next round, Osaka will look to keep her chances alive against the winner of the Monica Niculescu versus qualifier Julia Glushko match that is to be played later on Tuesday.
