World No.10 Naomi Osaka moved on to the third round of the US Open after a commanding 6-1 6-2 victory over Camila Giorgi at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday. Osaka made quick work of Giorgi to wrap up the match in only one hour and 10 minutes.
The 22-year-old former World No. 1, who withdrew from the Western & Southern Open final last week, said after the match, "My serve was pretty good. I'm really happy with my attitude. I thought I was really positive throughout."
Giving Giorgi No Quarter
A dominant Osaka came roaring out of the gate, winning the first five straight games in near-pristine form, committing just four unforced errors in the first set and winning 10 of her 12 first-serve points. Osaka walked onto the court with her left leg wrapped in medical tape but showed no signs of fatigue during the match, firing off four aces and forcing her opponent into 24 errors.
"I'm definitely seeing the importance in time management. I learned a lot from watching Serena yesterday because she was down almost 3-0 but I feel like she picked it up when she knew what she needed to do," Osaka said in a televised interview after the match. Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, defeated Kristie Ahn 7-5 6-3 in her first-round match on Tuesday.
A Torchbearer for Change
Osaka, who won 2019 Australian Open but has not made it past the fourth round of a major since, told reporters that she's taking the tournament "match by match." "I stopped thinking about winning. I feel like I put too much pressure on myself," she said. "I'm only thinking about putting myself in a good position to win."
The fourth-seeded player, who represents Japan and has emerged as a torchbearer for change within her sport, wore a mask before and after her match honoring Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after a violent encounter with Aurora, Colorado, police officers in 2019. She next faces Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the third round.
(With inputs from agencies)
