Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty’s surprise defeat against Sarah Soribes Tormo on Sunday means Osaka is now the top-ranked player in the women’s draw in her bid to become the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic tennis medal.
She also decided not to play at Wimbledon, but resurfaced in Tokyo and set out to make her mark.
“Playing in the Olympics has been my childhood dream, so I think the break I took was much needed,” Osaka, 23, told reporters. “I definitely feel a little refreshed and happy again.”
baking heat
His entry was greeted by an enthusiastic stadium announcer and applause from almost empty stands, which mainly included teammates, officials and members of the media.
Despite his absence from the tour, Osaka showed some signs of rust as he began his Olympic campaign, hovering with three aces in the first game, before breaking twice to lead Zheng to a 4–0 lead in the first set.
World number 52 Zheng, competing in her second Olympics, had a chance to make a comeback in the fifth game, only to have Osaka finish the first set in 32 minutes.
The second set continued to dominate as Osaka took another early break of serve, but this time Zheng was able to take another break and had two break points to level the set 4-3.
This proved to be only a beacon of hope, however, as Osaka returned to take the game and, soon after, the match.
“I felt really nervous to be in Japan and play here for probably the first time in two years and this will be my first Olympics,” Osaka said. “It was definitely really nerve-wracking. But I’m glad I was able to win, he’s a very tough opponent.
history maker
The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, was moved to the Sunday before the opening ceremony, leading to speculation that Osaka, who was born in Japan and moved to the US when she was three, , he may have been chosen to light the pan.
Osaka is also the first tennis player to have the honor of burning a cauldron.
“Naomi Osaka is the favorite of the house and a lot of eyes are on her,” said men’s world No. 1 Novak Djokovic after his win on Saturday.
“Playing at home is a lot of pressure, but in general for our game it’s great to see that a lot of attention has been put into it.”
Osaka is one of Japan’s star athletes, her face displayed on billboards around Tokyo and local media celebrating her decision to make her the ultimate torchbearer of these Olympics.
The newspaper Nikkei called it a moment of “diversity and harmony”, while the Mainichi Shimbun described how top foreign-born athletes “embodied diversity, which is one of the visions of the Olympic Games.”
Despite the nervousness about her Olympic debut, Osaka appeared calm on the court. She will take on Switzerland’s Victoria Golubic, which also includes Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu, for a place in the third round of the women’s draw.
However, that is unlikely to stop home fans, who are being kept away from venues in Tokyo amid the pandemic, from keeping a close eye on the tournament and Osaka’s progress.