Patrick Mouratoglou believes Naomi Osaka “is ready to play her best tennis on clay” after winning WTA 125 in Saint-Malo
Naomi Osaka ended her four-year title drought by winning the WTA 125 title in Saint-Malo
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Patrick Mouratoglou and Naomi Osaka (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Naomi Osaka claimed her first title in four years at the WTA 125 Challenger event in Saint-Malo. The Japanese star also sealed her return to the top 50 of the WTA rankings with her first-ever title on clay. Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, believes that the 27-year-old will play her best tennis at the Italian Open.
Osaka, four-time Grand Slam champion entered the Saint-Malo event with a poor 9-5 win-loss record this season. In fact, her best run was at the Auckland Classics, where she finished as runners-up in January. In her first clay match, she suffered a disappointing defeat against Lucia Bronzetti at the Madrid Open.
However, her decision to enter the WTA 125 event after the defeat was rewarding, as she won five matches in a row at Saint-Malo. She claimed the 125-level title after beating Kaja Juvan 6-1, 7-5 in the final to win her first title since the 2021 Australian Open victory. The World No.48 now enters the Italian Open with confidence.
Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, believes that the tournament was key to Osaka’s smooth transition to clay. He added that with her poor record on the surface, Saint-Malo gave her solid training ahead of the Rome Masters.
I think it’s just the fact that she has never spent enough time on this surface. Historically, because she didn’t spend much time on the surface, she had many defeats there, so she probably thought her game didn’t adapt to clay. But there is no obvious reason why she wouldn’t play well on this surface. So, it was important to have a solid clay training block. We did it. And it was important to have enough positive matches on the surface. And that was also done. So, I think now she is ready to play her best tennis on clay.
Patrick Mouratoglou said via Tennis Majors
Osaka wil seek to extend her clay form in Rome, which will be more difficult than when she played at the Challenger. However, like Mouratoglou said it was a solid practice for the WTA 1000 tournament.
Patrick Mouratoglou says Naomi Osaka feels confident playing on clay
Naomi Osaka’s success at the Saint-Malo event will increase expectations for her at the Italian Open and also at the French Open. The 27-year-old has a good opportunity to once again show that she’s among the best players in the women’s circuit. Patrick Mouratoglou says that Osaka feels comfortable on the surface and can compete against the Top 5 in the WTA.
The expectation is that she finally feels comfortable on the surface, feels confident, and plays freely. Because she is convinced she can play well here. This week, there have been moments, during the matches, where she played at a Top-5 level, without a doubt. So my expectation is for her to go there, play, feel free and confident, and then we’ll see what happens.
Naomi Osaka said
The last time Osaka won more than two WTA 1000 matches this season was at the Miami Open, where she reached the round of 16 before losing to Jasmine Paolini. The Italian Open will be her second clay WTA 1000 tournament after the Madrid Open.
Naomi Osaka faces tough opening rounds at the Italian Open
Naomi Osaka has been drawn in the section of some big names in the WTA at the Italian Open in Rome. The Japanese star will face Sara Errani in the opening round on Wednesday (May 7). The match is expected to be a comfortable tie for the World No.48 as Errani is a good doubles player.
However, if she gets past the Italian, she will face Paula Badosa in the second round. Osaka will seek to win the match and continue her form on clay, while Badosa, returning from injury, will be eager to test her form against the Japanese. The winner of the tie will have a potential clash against Open de Rouen champion Elina Svitolina or Danielle Collins.
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