Former world number one Naomi Osaka kicked off her China Open campaign with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory over Lucia Bronzetti of Italy on Wednesday. The match marked Osaka’s first competitive outing since teaming up with renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, showcased her class against the 77th-ranked Bronzetti, wrapping up the first-round encounter in just 83 minutes. The Japanese star broke Bronzetti’s serve in the seventh game of the first set and maintained her momentum in the second set, breaking twice more to seal the victory.
Osaka’s partnership with Mouratoglou, who previously coached Serena Williams, has raised expectations for the 26-year-old. “I think I’m at a stage in my life that I don’t want to have regrets,” Osaka said after the match. “I’d rather pull the trigger on something and… I feel like I really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career.”
In other women’s action, former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Ana Bogdan of Romania. American Taylor Townsend and Katie Volynets also progressed to the second round, while McCartney Kessler fell to China’s Zhang Shuai in a tight match.
On the men’s side, second-seeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland overcame Marcos Giron of the United States in three sets, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4. Matteo Berrettini of Italy also secured a straightforward 6-3, 6-4 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner and world number three Carlos Alcaraz, who shared all four Grand Slam titles this season, will begin their China Open campaigns on Thursday. However, second-ranked Alexander Zverev has withdrawn due to illness.
