Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu and Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday reached the second round of Indian Wells, while former world No. 1 Venus Williams was heading for victory before losing the final 10 games to Japan’s Nao Hibino.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who returned to the WTA Tour in January after a maternity break, fell behind 2-1 in the first set to qualifier Sara Errani when she misfired on an overhead into the net in windy conditions, but the Japanese player settled in from there, using her power to push the Italian around the court and won 10 of the final 11 games to advance 6-3, 6-1.
“It was really tricky for me in the first set,” Osaka told reporters. “I didn’t know if I should play with her and then go for my shots or if I should immediately go for my shots. That took a little bit of working out, which is why the first set was closer than I would have wanted.”
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA Today
Osaka, who received a wild card to play at the event she won in 2018 for her first professional title, was next to face 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia.
Former US Open champion Raducanu beat Spanish qualifier Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 6-3 earlier in the day to set up a second-round clash with 30th seed Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.
The British player broke serve six times, but also served eight double faults and needed four match points to close out the contest, which ended when Masarova’s backhand sailed long.
Photo: AFP
Raducanu is playing in her fifth tournament since returning to action in January after being sidelined for eight months due to wrist and ankle surgeries.
Wozniacki, 33, scored her first win in the California desert since 2019, beating Zhu Lin 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 in a match that began on Wednesday before being halted due to rain.
The Dane returned to the WTA Tour last year after stepping away from the sport in 2020 to start a family. The tournament’s 2011 champion and former world No. 1 was next to take on Croatia’s Donna Vekic, who is seeded 25th.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams looked poised for victory leading 6-2, 3-2 before Hibino turned the tables for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 win.
The 43-year-old American had not played since suffering an early exit from last year’s US Open, where she fell to qualifier Greet Minnen in the first round.
Danielle Collins was to face world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in a blockbuster second-round clash after the American edged Russian qualifier Erika Andreeva 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (8/6).
Collins rallied from 5-3 down in the first set and saved two set points in the second to beat Andreeva, setting up a meeting with familiar foe Swiatek.
Collins, 30, announced in January that this would be her last season on the WTA Tour, but said her trademark competitiveness is unchanged.
“I feel like it’s animal mode from the moment I walk in,” she said.
In the first round of the women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium, the top seeds, defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy and Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Additional reporting by staff writer
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