MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA (AP) – Two days, two wins and making it look easy.
Naomi Osaka sure seems like herself again. The former world number one is through to the third round at the Miami Open, easily handling 13th-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday. It was every bit as one-sided as the score made it seem, with Osaka winning 89 per cent of first-serve points and 61 of the 100 points played in the match overall.
“It means a lot to me,” said Osaka, unseeded in Miami after falling to number 77 in the world because she’s missed considerable time to focus on her mental health in recent years. “She’s the first high-seeded player I’ve beaten this year.”
Osaka’s win set the tone for a day where 11 seeded women were ousted from the tournament, a stunning series of results headlined by Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu defeating top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-4. Begu had lost 17 of her last 18 matches against top-10 players entering on Thursday.
Also gone: number three seed Anett Kontaveit. She lost to Ann Li, a 21-year-old American who got her first win over a top-10 opponent — a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 triumph.
