AFP – Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka eased into the second round of the WTA 1000 China Open yesterday, with Serena Williams’s former coach Patrick Mouratoglou courtside. Japan’s former world number one, now ranked 73, defeated Lucia Bronzetti of Italy 6-3, 6-2 and next faces 21st seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan. The 26-year-old Osaka said this month she was splitting with Belgian coach Wim Fissette.
There has been no official announcement of a tie-up with the renowned French coach Mouratoglou, but he was pictured arriving in Beijing with Osaka. They were also seen practising in the Chinese capital ahead of her first-round match against the 77th-ranked Bronzetti. Osaka has struggled to put together victories since she returned to the WTA Tour in January.
