Naomi Osaka is not one for looking too far ahead in the draw. She finds out who she plays in her first match but if there is any talk of later rounds it is fingers in the ears and ‘La, la, la.’
But this week it has been unavoidable. Osaka deflected any attempts during pre-tournament media to ask about her prospective second-round opponent but said after her first-round win on Sunday: ‘Honestly, I really didn’t know, but then after, I was, like, why does everyone keep asking me about this draw? I knew I was in the top half, so I was, like, jokingly, Well, it’s not like I’m playing Iga. Then everyone got quiet. So I was like…oh.’
Iga Swiatek is the clear favourite to win her third French Open in a row. If she can win her opening match on Monday against French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean, the world No1 will set up a second round between the only two women in the draw with four Grand Slam titles.
‘I’m honestly really excited,’ said Osaka of the prospect of visiting the court of the Queen of clay. ‘I watched her a lot when I was pregnant. It’s an honour to play her in the French Open, because she’s won more than once here, for sure. It’s a very big honour and challenge for me.’
Osaka is unseeded here as she rebuilds her ranking after returning to the game in January following the birth of her daughter.
Naomi Osaka is through to the second round of French Open after beating Lucia Bronzetti
The 26-year-old will face Iga Swiatek (pictured) if world No 1 beats Leolia Jeanjean on Monday
Baby Shai walked for the first time this week, and her mother’s own baby steps in this event were similarly unsteady.
The 26-year-old swept through the first set, lost the second, and had a point for 5-0 in the third. Then, Osaka admitted, thoughts of winning her first Grand Slam match in two years began to intrude into her brain. She lost five games in a row before squeaking through 7-5.
‘I would love to not have to go through that roller coaster again,’ she said.
