French Open: Osaka eliminated after first-round loss to Anisimova

Naomi Osaka, four-time grand slam champion, lost 7-5 6-4 to Amanda Anisimova in the first round of the French Open on Monday.

After her third-round victory at the Australian Open in January, the 20-year-old Anisimova, a surprise semifinalist at Roland Garros three years ago, has now beaten Osaka in back-to-back major slams.

A tense, seesawing first set included five breaks of serve, including the first three games of the match, in their most recent fight at Roland Garros — possibly the best of the first-round matches in the women’s tournament.

Anisimova took the lead when she broke Osaka at 5-5 in the first set and went on to win in 48 minutes, while in the second set, she broke at 3-3 and twice held service to seal the victory.

On Wednesday, the No. 27-ranked American will face Donna Vekic of Croatia in the second round.

“You don’t think it’s going to be easy when you face Naomi Osaka in the first round,” Anisimova said after the match in an on-court interview.

“It was a grueling match. I knew I had to play solid tennis when I went out there… I’m really glad to be back here and have made it through the first round.”

Last year, Osaka withdrew from the French Open after refusing to speak to the media to preserve her mental health.

After being heckled in Indian Wells, the former world No. 1 took a break from tennis and stated earlier this year that she had begun talking to a therapist.

Osaka talked to the media on Friday ahead of her first-round match, admitting she was “still thinking about” the events of last year’s tournament.

Osaka’s clay-court swing comes to an end with the loss to Anisimova; she lost in the second round of the Madrid Open and had to withdraw from the Italian Open due to an ankle ailment.

After the decision to remove rankings points from the competition, the Japanese star later stated that she was undecided whether she will play at Wimbledon.

Following the decision to prohibit Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s event due to the conflict in Ukraine, the men’s and women’s professional tours, as well as the International Tennis Federation (ITF), stated last week that ranking points would not be granted at Wimbledon.

On Monday, Osaka told reporters, “I’m the type of player who gets inspired by watching my ranking go up or anything like that.”

“I believe the aim is admirable, but the execution is a bit erratic.”