Naomi Osaka Qualifies for Debut

Naomi Osaka, the 2018 US open champion, is currently facing D. Collins from USA, at the China Open. After her first victory in Beijing, China, the Japanese native has become the third player to qualify for the 2018 BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore. World number one Simona Halep and former world number one Angelique Kerber are the other two who have qualified ahead of her.

“Qualifying for the WTA Finals is a huge accomplishment”, says Naomi Osaka, who will be playing her debut match at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals. “Winning the WTA Rising Stars Invitational in 2015 helped give me the confidence to play on the big stages so I am excited to go back to Singapore and compete with the top players of the season”,said the US Open Champion.

Naomi Osaka was the champion at the Rising Stars Invitational, where she overthrew Caroline Garcia in the finals. She now becomes just the third Japanese to reach the finals stage and the first in fifteen years.

Caroline Wozniacki was another high profile name that got through to the next round at the China Open. Wozniacki defeated the Swiss young gun Belinda Bencic in straight sets 6-2, 6-3.  “I think I just stayed really steady and I tried to stay really focused. That was really it”, said the Australian Open Champion. “It’s been a while since I’ve played her. I think a lot of things have happened since then. I tried to not really think about the past matches, just think about this one as a new one, new experience, a new stadium. That was really that”, she added.

Sloane Stephens, Angelique Kerber, Dominika Cibulkova and Garbine Muguruza were the other players that went through to the next round. Kerber is currently facing off against Carla Suárez Navarro, and she has taken the first set in a tie-breaker.