JAPANESE fan favourite and world number three, Naomi Osaka barely skipped a beat in Round 2 of the Australian Open, beating her Chinese opposition in straight sets in an intense match as Osaka looks to back up her impeccable 2019 Open victory.

The quiet hard hitter was like a bull out of the gates early in her match against China’s Zheng Saisai, winning the first set with ease despite every hit sent her way. With a speedy serve and game smarts to boot, Osaka used every inch of her strength early in the match to secure control heading into the second set. But it wasn’t enough to scare Saisai, withe Chinese 42nd seed using Osaka’s second serve attempts against her to take inches of control back. A confidence player, Osaka was impressive at her best but sloppy at her worst, with Zheng making the most of Osaka’s momentary lapses in concentration. But despite moments of strife throughout, Osaka pulled through with a real fire in the belly to finish, making the most of every chance she had to create issues with her long hit and strong serves.

Osaka’s strong backhand was on show throughout but was oftentimes too flat to cross the net, rendering her out of sorts but fortunately with a point to prove, creating something out of nothing and committing to winning the second set despite all the momentum going against her. What points off the serve Osaka lost, she made up for it in bounds by forcing Zheng to sprint for plenty of ball to make the return. Her ability to stay centred across the court did her many favours, not having to stretch too far to the sidelines but her frustration got the better of her more often than not, making for a tighter contest than expected.

With an average serve of 170kmh – hitting a peak of 190kmh – Osaka was able to use her serve to collect 20 winners throughout the match and reign supreme despite small blips in the radar that will need to pass if Osaka wants to continue as she did in 2019.

Osaka moves on to play 15-year-old unseeded, Coco Gauff in the third round, making for a tough contest with the American star in the making who has found impressive wins since joining the international scene.