Thu, Jan 04, 2024 page7

• Osaka comeback ends; Nadal all smiles

  TOP CHALLENGER: World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka said she was very happy with her performance, and her dominant form showed when beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-0

  • AFP, BRISBANE, Australia
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  Naomi Osaka yesterday said she was “super disappointed,” but just being on court was a “personal win” after her return to tennis at the Brisbane International was ended by defending champion Karolina Pliskova.

  Pliskova, who won the tournament the last time it was held in 2020, bounced back from losing the first set to grind down the Japanese star 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in the second round.

  Meanwhile, world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka thumped Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-0 in a dominant display on Pat Rafter Arena.

  

  Japan’s Naomi Osaka returns to the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova during their Brisbane International women’s singles match in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday.

  Photo: AFP

  “Even though it’s super disappointing today, I know that if I keep training and if I keep putting in the work, then I’ll eventually get to where I want to be,” Osaka said.

  “It’s kind of tough because she has such a great serve — my break points could have been better, but I think other than that, we both played really well,” she said.

  “Even stepping on the court is a personal win, because a couple of weeks ago I was even doubting if I could play with everyone,” Osaka said. “So I guess these two matches that I’ve had kind of prove to me that I am doing okay, and the year is just going to get better for me.”

  

  Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his Brisbane International men’s singles match against Austria’s Dominic Thiem in Brisbane, Australia, on Tuesday.

  Photo: AFP

  The four-time Grand Slam champion had not played a tournament since September 2022, citing mental health concerns. She had a baby daughter in July last year before deciding to make a comeback.

  Reigning Australian Open champion Sabalenka was in imperious form against Bronzetti, breaking the Italian once in the first set and three times in the second.

  “I’m super happy with the performance and I think I played a really great match,” said Sabalenka, who won 24 points to Bronzetti’s five in the second set.

  “I just hope I can keep this same level for each match, or even better,” she said.

  In the men’s singles yesterday, Rafael Nadal raised triumphantly, unable to conceal a winner’s grin and taking time to savor a victory that was 12 months and a lot of rehab in the making.

  Sure, it was the first round of a season-opening tournament, but it felt momentous for the 22-time major winner, because it was only a matter of weeks ago he was not certain he would be ready to return from a long-term hip injury.

  The 37-year-old Spaniard showed no signs of rust in a 7-5, 6-1 win over Dominic Thiem, who won the US Open in 2020 and has a career-high No. 3 ranking, but is making a slow return from injury himself.

  “Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me,” Nadal said. “And to play at the very positive level on the first day is something that probably makes [me] feel proud.”

  “It’s been the longest period of time without being in a professional tournament since I started my tennis career, so, yeah, it’s an amazing feeling to come back,” he said.

  Nadal had not played a singles match at the elite level since a second-round exit at the Australian Open in January last year. The protracted recovery from a surgically repaired hip did not seem to slow him down.

  He made just a handful of unforced errors, lost only six points on his serve in the entire match and hit some stunning forehand winners.

  Additional reporting by AP
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