Naomi Osaka cruises through opening round at China Open with new coach

Bhubaneswar: Former top-ranked Naomi Osaka started the China Open with a routine 6-3, 6-2 victory over Lucia Bronzetti of Italy on Wednesday to mark her first match with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou in positive style.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was the headline act on the opening day and showed her class in closing out the first-round match against the 77th-ranked Italian player in 83 minutes.

Osaka, who claimed the 2019 China Open before COVID-19 and a WTA boycott of China over the wellbeing of Peng Shuai forced the cancellation of tournaments in China for four years, next plays Yulia Putintseva, a 21st-seeded player from Kazahkstan, in the second round.

The 26-year-old Osaka began training with Mouratoglou in the lead-up to the Asian swing of the women’s tour, after splitting with Wim Fissette following a disappointing second-round exit at the U.S Open.

“I think I’m at a stage in my life that I don’t want to have regrets,” the Japanese star said Wednesday after her match. “I’d rather pull the trigger on something and — I don’t want to say ‘fail’ — but I feel like I really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career.”