By Chris Oddo | Wednesday March 21, 2018
Naomi Osaka Rolled Past Serena Williams in convincing fashion on Wednesday at the Miami Open.
Photo Source: AP
Serena Williams comeback hit a road block on Wednesday in Miami in the form of a cool, confident 20-year-old in scorching-hot form.
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Last year’s BNP Paribas Open champion Naomi Osaka notched her eighth consecutive victory and took down the greatest champion in Miami Open history, 6-3, 6-2, to book a second-round clash with No.4-seeded Elina Svitolina.
Williams and Osaka were neck-and-neck in the early going but the rising Japanese power player took charge and won eight of the final ten games to leave a perplexed Williams in the dust in her fourth match and second event since returning from giving birth to her daughter last September.
It could prove to be the wake-up call that Williams needs.
After sailing a match point forehand laughably long of the baseline, Williams stood at the net, a big smile growing on her face as if she could not believe how poorly she played. She handled the defeat with grace on court, but the fact that Williams elected to skip her post-match press conference might be an indication of the frustration she feels after being swept aside by a 20-year-old at the event she has dominated for years.
Williams has work to do before her comeback begins in full, and after enduring back-to-back losses she’ll likely spend her days and nights searching for ways to reclaim her dominance over the field. If there’s one thing that women’s tennis fans have been able to count on over the past two decades, it is that.
Williams later released a statement through the WTA:
As far as Osaka goes, it’s hard to deny how far she has come over the last few weeks. Winning the title at Indian Wells might have been a good excuse to put forth a clunker in Miami, especially given that she was playing her self-professed idol. But the 20-year-old was shrewd and rude in her takedown of Williams and when she needed to she exhibited elevated shotmaking to create and gain distance from Williams.
Osaka finished with 18 winners and 12 unforced errors while Williams hit 16 winners and 28 unforced errors. Osaka pounded on the American’s second serve, winning 18 of 26 points against it, which helped her break four times on eight opportunities.
She saved the only two break points she faced and completed the victory in 77 minutes.
Williams drops to 75-9 lifetime on Miami and at this time it is unclear when she will play again. Though the lopsided nature of the loss comes as a surprise, she and her coach Patrick Mouratoglou have warned that she would need time to return to form and that she didn’t plan on hitting her stride until the Grand Slam season rolls along. With the French Open scheduled to begin in two months, there is a lot of work to do for the 23-time champion.
With a showdown with No.4-seeded Elina Svitolina looming in the second round there is also work to do for Osaka in Miami. With a career-high ranking of 22, and a Premier Mandatory title under her belt, there is now a target on her back like never before. Such is the reality of the WTA Tour in this age of depth and power.
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, but if Osaka’s waltz past the legendary Williams is any indication, she’s more than ready to assume the responsibilities that come with the reputation she is forging.
Azarenka Rolls
One mom had better fortunes on Wednesday in Miami. Victoria Azarenka rolled past CiCi Bells to book a second-round clash with Madison Keys.
The Belarussian's 6-3, 6-0 victory improves her lifetime record at Miami to 31-8. Azarenka has now won seven straight at the Miami Open after winning the title in 2016 and skipping last season.