3 talking points as Naomi Osaka makes emphatic return to tennis with Olympics 1r win over Zheng Saisai

Following a historic moment on Friday that saw her become the first tennis player to ever light the Olympic cauldron, Naomi Osaka was was in her element again on Sunday. The World No. 2 needed 1 hour and 27 minutes to dispatch China’s World No. 52 Zheng Saisai 6-1, 6-4 and move into the women’s singles second round.

On a day when World No. 1 and Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty was knocked out, Naomi Osaka looked completely at ease. With the reigning Australian Open champion looking to secure Japan’s first ever Olympic tennis gold, here are three talking points from her first-round win.

#1 Naomi Osaka shows no signs of rust after a break

Naomi Osaka went on a hiatus from the tour after opening up about her battle with mental health during the French Open. The two-month break saw Osaka miss the Wimbledon Championships too.

But when the 23-year-old took the court against Zheng Saisai on Sunday, there were no signs of rust. The four-time Slam champion dominated Zheng right from the start, and the Chinese struggled to even win games in the first set.

Zheng finally found herself on the board after losing five games on the trot. She struggled a lot with the pace, angles and intensity of the shots coming from the other end of the court – especially in her own service games.

#2 Naomi Osaka’s serve and return have room for improvement this week

Despite the one-sided 6-1, 6-4 score, Naomi Osaka still has a bit of room for improvement – especially on the serve and the return.

The Japanese served six aces and didn’t commit any double faults. But her first serve percentage was a paltry 60%, which was even lower than Zheng’s 63%.

That said, Osaka did manage to come up with a big serve on each of the six break points she faced, saving all of them.

On the return front, the former World No. 1 failed to capitalize on many of her opportunities. She converted only three out of the eight break points (38%) she got.

A perfectionist like Osaka would want to work on those areas before her next match against Viktorija Golubic.

#3 Osaka moved forward a lot more than usual

A striking aspect of Naomi Osaka’s first-round match was how she tried to move forward whenever the opportunity presented itself. The fact that a baseliner like her won 11 out of 15 points (73%) at the net suggests she has been working on her volleys.

Perhaps Osaka is looking to add another weapon to her repertoire of shots, as she aims to extend her dominance beyond hardcourts. Nevertheless, a strong front-court game would serve her well even on her preferred surface, and be especially handy in the hot conditions of Tokyo this week.