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Post by Admin on Aug 10, 2019 19:04:44 GMT
“You gotta take a chance to dictate, or she’s gonna dictate.” This was the advice that Naomi Osaka’s coach, Jermaine Jenkins, gave to her before the final game of her 6-3, 6-4 loss to Serena Williams in Toronto on Friday. It was hard to argue with him. Up to that point, Osaka had played it safe and not taken chances. With the wind swirling around her, she had swung tentatively and placed the ball conservatively, right down the middle of the court. As Jenkins said, it had been Serena who had taken advantage of Osaka’s uncertainty, and taken command of the rallies. Serena hadn’t necessarily been at her best to start; her forehand, in particular, was sailing on her. But she had moved well, covered the corners, and hit with the right mix of force (to blast the ball through the wind) and margin (to keep it from dancing too close to the lines). She had served well, and returned with purpose, sending Osaka scrambling toward the corners as soon as she could. “I can feel it in my bones,” Osaka said with a laugh near the end of the match, referring to “all the lunging” she was being forced to do.
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Post by Admin on Aug 15, 2019 4:39:20 GMT
Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who returned to No. 1 this week, returns to the courts in Cincinnati with a positive attitude despite her defeat to Serena Williams a few days ago. Osaka fell to Williams in the quarterfinals in Toronto, but said she enjoyed herself during the contest and during the week. “I think I stayed positive throughout all my matches. I tried different things,” a smiling Osaka said. “I tried to slice. I tried to drop shot. I played really well, despite the circumstances. I think moving on forward into Cincinnati and into New York, I can have a lot of positive things.” The 21-year-old says she's happy to be back at No. 1, and wants to learn from her experience the first time around. “I guess excited. But also at the same time, I feel like that's a position that I think requires a lot of work," she said. "I can't really let what other people say affect me. “I just have to keep working hard and putting effort.”
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Post by Admin on Aug 16, 2019 18:30:05 GMT
Top-ranked Naomi Osaka survived yet another grueling test from the tricky Hsieh Su-wei in a matchup that has proven to be one of the more entertaining rivalries of 2019. Osaka eventually overpowered her much smaller opponent to win a three-set battle, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-2, in the third round of the Western & Southern Open on Thursday. Scheduled on outside Court No. 10, Hsieh served for the first set at 5-4 but was unable to close in a break-filled first set. Osaka stepped up in the court, ripping returns and capitalizing on Hsieh’s lack of service pace.
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Post by Admin on Aug 17, 2019 17:49:32 GMT
Former US Open finalist Madison Keys is gaining momentum at just the right time. The 24-year-old will meet countrywoman Sofia Kenin for a spot in the Cincinnati final, after defeating fellow American Venus Williams, 6-2, 6-3, on Friday evening at the Western & Southern Open. Naomi Osaka felt a strange sensation in her left knee, different than anything she had experienced. The US Open champion left the court worried about whether she'd be in shape to defend her title. Osaka retired from her quarterfinal match Friday at the Western & Southern Open, unsure of what's going on in her knee. She said she expected to get an MRI.
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Post by Admin on Aug 20, 2019 21:29:41 GMT
Twelve months ago, Naomi Osaka arrived at the US Open as a rising star. A year and two Grand Slam titles later, she'll return to New York as a global superstar. Already a name to watch among tennis fans after winning the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last year, Osaka announced herself on the world stage with a stunning run to her first major title at the 2018 US Open. For an encore? She won this year's Australian Open and ascended to WTA world No. 1, becoming the first woman from Asia ever to hold the top spot. Since raising the trophy in New York last summer, it's been a year of change for the 21-year-old, both on and off the court. On court, she split with coach Sascha Bajin shortly after winning in Melbourne and is currently working with former U.S. pro Jermaine Jenkins. Off court, she's become the face of brands in both Asia and abroad, signing mega-deals with apparel sponsor Nike, Japanese car maker Nissan and Mastercard, among others. As she gets set to defend her title in less than a week, Osaka is openly making another adjustment—but this one has nothing to do with who's a part of her team or what's in her endorsement portfolio. Over the spring and early summer, Osaka was dealt a handful of earlier-than-expected defeats. In addition to losing in the first week of both the French Open and Wimbledon, she relinquished the world No. 1 ranking to Ashleigh Barty after the Aussie triumphed in Paris and on the grass courts of Birmingham in June—but gained it back later in the summer. That swing through the natural surfaces, clay courts and grass, marked just the latest learning curve for Osaka after her big breakthrough.
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