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Naomi Osaka faced another early exit, losing to Liudmila Samsonova 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Berlin Open.
Naomi Osaka (X)
Naomi Osaka’s challenging year continues, marked by another early exit.
Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova overcame a set deficit to defeat Naomi Osaka 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 in the first round of the Berlin Open WTA event on Tuesday.
The world number 20, who won the tournament in 2021, took two hours and 36 minutes to surpass the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Samsonova’s victory sets up a last-16 clash with American world number three Jessica Pegula on Wednesday.
Osaka broke her opponent twice in the opening set, but Samsonova held her serve in the second set before winning a tie break, clinching the final four points.
Both players exchanged breaks in the final set before the 26-year-old Russian broke a second time, securing her path to victory.
Osaka’s defeat is the latest setback in the former world number one’s comeback since returning from maternity leave last year.
Osaka was also defeated in the first round of the French Open.
This is the fourth meeting between the two since Osaka returned to the circuit at the beginning of 2024, with each player having two wins.
One of the oldest women’s tournaments in the world, the Berlin Open switched from clay to grass courts in 2021 and has since become a popular warm-up event for Wimbledon, which starts at the end of the month.
Later on Tuesday, world number four Qinwen Zheng faces 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
The top four seeds at the tournament, including French Open finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, along with Pegula and Jasmine Paolini, all enter at the last 16 stage on Wednesday.
(with inputs from agencies)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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