Top seed Naomi Osaka yesterday staged a second successive great escape at Roland Garros when she battled back from a set and a break down to triumph over Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
World No. 1 Osaka, bidding to add the French Open to her US and Australian Open titles, had been two points from defeat in her opener against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Against former No. 1 and two-time major winner Azarenka, she was staring down the barrel yet again at 2-4 down in the second set.
Photo: AFP
However, the 21-year-old held her nerve, despite squandering two match points, to secure her place in the third round and a clash against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, who defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari 7-5 (7/5), 6-7 (8/10), 6-3.
“I was lucky to have played her twice before. I knew she had been playing well coming into the tournament,” Osaka said. “It was an unfortunate second round for me, so I am happy to win.”
Osaka finished the 2 hour, 50 minute encounter on Court Suzanne Lenglen with 52 winners and 43 unforced errors.
She became the first top seed to win her two opening matches at Roland Garros after losing the first set since Lindsay Davenport in 2005.
Azarenka, now ranked No. 43 in the world, claimed the 40-minute first set after stretching out to a 5-1 lead on the back of two breaks of serve.
Osaka was undone by 15 unforced errors.
The Japanese star appeared doomed when she slipped to 4-2 down in the second set after having failed to convert three break points in the fourth game.
However, she rallied to level at 4-4 after a 10-minute eighth game, secured on an Azarenka double fault.
The Belarussian, who had knocked out 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko in the first round, then saved three set points in the 12th game before Osaka leveled the contest with a pinpoint, down-the-line winner.
After an 85-minute set, Azarenka stretched a toilet break to 10 minutes before squandering three break points in the first game of the decider.
Osaka made her pay, breaking twice for a 5-1 lead.
However, in the roller-coaster match, Azarenka cut the deficit to 5-3, saving two match points in the process.
“I choked on this side and almost choked there too. I am a very emotional person,” Osaka said as she explained how she almost allowed Azarenka back into the tie.
In the men’s singles, Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas reached the third round after Kyle Edmund, the last British man left in the draw, retired with a knee injury midway through the third set.
Edmund called on the trainer while trailing 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 2-1 and, after a short discussion, he informed the umpire that he was unable to continue.
Edmund’s exit left women’s 26th seed Johanna Konta as the only Briton left in the singles competition.
Cuevas is next play Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem, who overcame a tough test to advance with a 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 7-5 win over defiant Kazakh Alexander Bublik on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Fourth seed Thiem, who reached the final at Roland Garros last year, had to use his full range of shots to overcome 91st-ranked Bublik, who put up a fight against the “prince of clay.”
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