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.

Osaka, who won in 2018 at Indian Wells, is back in the desert for the first time since 2019. She hasn’t played a tournament since January when she lost in the round of 32 at the Australian Open. Only having played a handful of events last year, her ranking has dropped to 78th in the world.

Trailing 2-0 in the third set, Osaka fought off three break points to hold and begin a run of six straight games to close out the match in just under two hours. She broke Stephens three times in the set, including at love in the sixth game.

Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open winner, lost for the first time in three career meetings with Osaka. The American's ranking has dropped to 38th, although she was coming off a win in the tournament at Guadalajara, Mexico, last month.

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