Today, Naomi Osaka won her first match since the Australian Open. She beat American Sloane Stephens 3-6,6-1,6-2 in the first round of the WTA 1000 BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells). However, even though the scoreline gave a picture of an easy win for Osaka, that wasn’t the actual case on-court. After a hard-fought battle against an in-form Sloane, Osaka revealed what kept her going in the match.

How Naomi Osaka defeated Sloane Stephens

The Japanese player faced immense difficulty while playing against World No. 38 Stephen Sloanes amid the uncertain weather. However, after 1 hour and 53 minutes of battle, it was Osaka who turned out to be victorious in three sets.

The most important quality for any player of any sport is to learn from previous mistakes, learn from them, and move ahead. Osaka did the same. The current World No. 78 credited her previous match learnings for her win. Having tight initial games in the first set, Naomi went into her thinking zone, composing her thoughts and recalling her learnings from the previous match, and finally implementing it.

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“Despite how tight everything was in the first games of the first set, my head was thinking about how much I have learned from each match played, for example what I learned from the match against Amanda (Anisimova) in the last Australian Open.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion further elaborated on how she aligned her thoughts and made it reflect on the game. “I told myself that I would have opportunities for sure, I just needed to capitalize on them.”

‘It Really Meant a Lot to Me’ – Naomi Osaka on the Change in People’s Expectations of Her at Indian Wells 2022

Apart from their own game, one quality that segregates top players from others is how well they analyze their opponent’s game and adapt their own game to emerge victorious.

Being one of the best players, Osaka did not fail in it. The 24-year-old successfully analyzed Stephens’s weak area, as she went on to direct her game towards it.

“I knew she was double faulting a lot at the start of the third set, so this was the first thing I had to fix,” concluded the Japanese player.

The comeback of Osaka

Naomi Osaka has faced a number of ups and downs in the career. These highs and lows have not only affected her physically but also mentally. However, recovering from the low points, the Japanese player has always tried to rise back and shine.

Prior to the Indian Wells, Osaka played at the Australian Open, facing a third-round loss. Being out of the tour since then, the 2018 champion has made a comeback eyeing to repeat history and win her second title. She is now set to face the 21st seed Veronika Kudermetova in the second round. 

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