Japan Open 2022 First Round: Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville Prediction and Preview

Japan Open 2022 First Round: Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville Prediction and Preview

Naomi Osaka and Daria Saville

Japan Open’s round of 32 clashes with similar players who recently met at Cincinnati Masters. Japanese homegirl, Naomi Osaka, who stands to face Daria Saville at the Japan Open, recently clashed with the Aussie at the Southern and Western Open.

Osaka, whose tour this season hasn’t been productive, will lock horns with the Australian who has been constantly moving up the ladder by moving past players in tournaments out-matching her capacities and will likely dread her showdown with the Japanese in her crowd’s heart.

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Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville: Match Details

  • Tournament: Japan Open
  • Match: Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville
  • Round: Round of 32
  • Date: 20th September 2022
  • Venue: Tokyo, Japan
  • Surface: Hard
  • Prize Money: $15,235

Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville: Preview

Daria Saville
Daria Saville

Media and fans have been circling Osaka’s apparent nemesis which has proved to be true as lately the 4 time Grand Slam champion has failed to portray anything significant tying praise to her career. She was brutally ousted in the recent Cincinnati Masters by none other than Daria Saville with a disrespectful score of 6-4, 6-2, and earlier in the Canadian Open conceded to Kaia Kanepi, concluding with a final score of 7-6(4), 3-0.

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The young champion from Japan who’s been ranked at her highest world No. 1 hasn’t been breaking headlines starting now. In the past, Naomi has been the face of drama in the eyes of the global tennis community who are under the distinct notion that the Japanese should retire owing to her lack of showing any results on-court.

Daria Saville on the other hand seems to have a comparatively better season than the Japanese. Her recent endeavour at the US Open lasted till the championship’s first round where she lost to Elena-Gabriela Ruse with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Earlier in her performance at Cincinnati Masters, she ousted her upcoming opponent at the Japan Open Osaka in the qualifying round with a dashing score of 6-4, 6-2. The Australian previously opened up about her struggles while playing a Grand Slam and notably stated it’s too much for her and she prefers the crowd let her be and not expect anything from the players clashing.

The head2head score between the duo currently stands at 1-0, with the score titled towards the Aussie’s favour.

Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville: Prediction

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka

Both players lost in the first round of the US Open prior to this, though it has been some time since Osaka’s last win. Saville has notched up better results than the former World No. 1 in the past few weeks, so she’ll certainly fancy her chances of scoring an upset win here.

Osaka’s serve, which was quite a huge asset for her, has lost some of its sting and potency. While she’s able to serve well from time to time, its effectiveness isn’t that consistent anymore. However, Saville isn’t that big of a server, so the pair are somewhat even in that department.

Osaka’s groundstrokes do keep her in contention, but she struggles to hit them accurately while on the run. Saville is a player who can get the two-time Grand Slam champion scampering all over the court and easily draw out errors from her racquet.

Until last year, Osaka would have been the overwhelming favorite to come through this clash. But based on how she has played this year, this match could go the distance. In the end, it’s tough to write off a champion of her caliber, so she should be able to scrape past her opponent.

Prediction: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets.

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