The Japanese Naomi Osaka, former world No.1, beat Caroline Garcia (21st) 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha, and took her revenge on the Frenchwoman who eliminated her on the 15th. January in the first round of the Australian Open.
Facing Osaka, current 747th player in the world, who began a comeback at the beginning of January after more than a year without playing – a period during which she gave birth to a child -, the French N.1, more solid in the exchange , obtained the first three break points at 1-1, all of which Osaka saved with winning shots.
Garcia finally converted the fourth, which came in at 2-2, to break away 4-2 and serve to win the set at 5-4.
But the Frenchwoman, once again a victim of her emotions, then collapsed. She lost her last two serves of the set without making a single point and found herself trailing 1 set to 0.
In the second set, it was again Garcia who obtained the first break point, at 2-2, not exploited. Both players kept their serves until 5-4, the moment Caroline Garcia chose to lose hers, and the match.
In the highlight match of the day, the Polish Iga Swiatek, the world’s leading player, defeated the Romanian Sorana Cirstea (N.22) who surrendered in barely an hour of play (6-1 6-1).
Caroline Garcia opposed to Naomi Osaka in Doha, February 12, 2024 / KARIM JAAFAR / AFP
From the outset, the four-time Grand Slam winner (Roland-Garros 2020, 2022 and 2023 and US Open 2023), exempt from the first round, gave her opponent no respite, yielding only a short game in 33 minutes.
The second set followed the same scenario with the first two games closely contested between the two players before Swiatek stole the serve from the Romanian at 1-1 then displayed her talent, like this sublime passing to lead 5-1 after defeating his opponent.
The double title holder in Doha concluded on her second match point on an opponent’s serve after 1 hour 01 minutes.
She will face in the round of 16 the winner of the match between the Russians Erika Andreeva and Ekaterina Alexandrova, opposed on Tuesday.
