Tennis star, Naomi Osaka, has progressed to the second round of the ongoing Japan Open following her victory over counterpart, Wakana Sonobe.
Osaka, in the game which lasted 1 hour and 16 minutes, started strongly and recorded an immaculate 6-0 in the first set. However, her compatriot opponent, Sonobe, displayed grit in the second set but ended up losing 6-4, allowing the four-time grand slam winner to set up a face-off with defending champion, Suzan Lamens, to battle for a place in the quater-final.
The 27-year-old dropped just two points on serve while converting three of her six break points. Sonobe then held her own ground in the second set saving five break points while also taking one of Osaka’s service games.
Nevertheless, the winner broke her opponent’s service twice and won 30 of her 39 total service points including 83.3% on her first service and 71.4 in the second.
The 27-year-old, who is playing in the competition since 2017, is seeking her first quarter-final in Osaka and will be up against Dutch Lamens, whom she has a 1-0 head to head overall win against.
