Osaka beats Stephens in return to Indian Wells
Naomi Osaka made a winning return to the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, rallying to beat Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in a first-round meeting of former major champions.
Sloane Stephens Sport News
Osaka blows Stephens away on windy day at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS : Naomi Osaka battled windy conditions and an in-form Sloane Stephens to earn a 3-6 6-1 6-2 first round victory at Indian Wells on Thursday.
Osaka outlasts Stephens in return to Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Naomi Osaka made a winning return to the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, rallying to beat Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in a first-round meeting of former major champions.
Japan's Naomi Osaka says she is 'at peace' with herself ahead of first match since Australian Open exit
Naomi Osaka will return to Indian Wells with renewed peace and focus after a difficult 2021 season and an early at the Australian Open. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who broke into the top ten of the WTA rankings with her first career title at Indian Wells in 2018, will face America’s Sloane Stephens in a first-round match on the prestigious hardcourts of the California desert. Ad/> The 24-year-old is set to take to the court for the first time since January, where she lost in the third round of the Australian Open to America’s Amanda Anisimova, a loss Osaka says helped reframe her thinking.
Naomi Osaka at peace with herself ahead of Indian Wells tournament
Naomi Osaka said she had a new perspective on tennis after taking a break from the sport last year to prioritise her mental health and is now focused on "trying hard and having fun" at Indian Wells. Osaka announced the hiatus after she suffered an emotional loss in the third round of the U.S. Open to Leylah Fernandez in September, and it was unclear when she would play again. "I've learned to enjoy my time more," she told reporters on Wednesday on the eve of her first round showdown with Sloane Stephens. "This moment in my life, playing tennis, I've trained my entire life for it. But when I'm 70, it will probably be a small chapter for me. So I have to enjoy it while I still can. "I'm just trying to appreciate every tournament." Osaka fell in the third round of the Australian Open to Amanda Anisimova but said she felt good about her effort and how she coped with the defeat. "I felt the difference in Australia. When I played my last match against Amanda, I left the court thinking I did my best, and I had match points."
'At peace' Osaka readies for Indian Wells challenge
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka returns to Indian Wells, scene of her breakthrough triumph in 2018, with a new outlook on a tennis career plunged into turmoil in 2021.
"At Peace" Naomi Osaka Readies For Indian Wells Challenge
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka returns to Indian Wells, scene of her breakthrough triumph in 2018, with a new outlook on a tennis career plunged into turmoil in 2021. The Japanese star will take the court for the first time since a third-round exit in her Australian Open title defense in January when she takes on another former major winner in Sloane Stephens in a first-round match at the prestigious hardcourt tournament in the California desert.
