REVEALED! Naomi Osaka’s projected path to claim her maiden French Open title
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Naomi Osaka
Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka will start her 2022 French Open campaign with a tough match against in-form 27th seed Amanda Anisimova. Osaka has an underwhelming career record on clay but has shown signs of improving her game on the surface and will be a real test for the young American.
Osaka is a four-time grand slam champion who was once ranked No. 1 but has since dropped to No. 38 due to a lack of participation. Last year, she took time out for a mental health vacation after withdrawing from Roland-Garros ahead of her second-round match, stating that she was suffering from anxiety and sadness.
Because she wasn’t seeded in Paris, she couldn’t avoid playing a seeded opponent right away, which is exactly what she’ll do against No.27 Amanda Anisimova, a 20-year-old American who was a semi-finalist in Paris in 2019. Anisimova won their third-round encounter at the Australian Open in January by a score of 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Osaka was the defending champion at Melbourne Park.
A tough road ahead for Naomi Osaka
If Naomi Osaka overcomes the storm in form of Amanda Anisimova then she will face a qualifier in the second round. In the third round, Karolina Mahova or Maria Sakkari might wait for her. It will not be an easy clash as Muchova and Sakkari both are Comparatively good on clay than any other surface and they will give the Japanese a hard time. Then, in the round of 4, Bianca Andreescu, Leylah Fernandez Belinda Bencic or Katerina Siniakova could face the Japanese. This seems like a nightmarish draw, however, Osaka should be able to proceed to the quarter-finals if she utilises her abilities correctly.
She might potentially face teenager Emma Raducanu in the quarterfinals. It will be thrilling to watch them battle it out on the court for the first time. Also, if not Raducanu, Osaka might face Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova, or Ons Jabeur, the reigning clay court sensation. If she advances to the semifinal, it will be either Anett Kontaveit, Coco Gauff, Garbine Muguruza or Victoria Azarenka who awaits the Japanese. Afterwards, if things go as planned Naomi Osaka should be able to book a clash with either World No.1 Iga Swiatek or World No.3 Paula Badosa in the final showdown.
Naomi Osaka’s potential path to her maiden French Open title
- Round 1- Amanda Anisimova
- Round 2- Qualifier
- Round 3- Karolina Muchova/Maria Sakkari
- Round 4- Bianca Andreescu/Leylah Fernandez/Belinda Bencic/Katerina Siniakova
- QF- Emma Raducanu/Angelique Kerber/Petra Kvitova/Ons Jabeur
- SF- Anett Kontaveit/Coco Gauff/Garbine Muguruza/Victoria Azarenka/Barbora Krejcikova
- Final- Iga Swiatek/Paula Badosa/Aryna Sabalenka
Also Read: Revealed! Iga Swiatek’s path to win her second grand slam in Paris
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)