Naomi Osaka beat Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 in the first round of the French Open on Sunday to claim her first victory at Roland Garros in three years.
Returning from a 15-month maternity break this year, Osaka had fallen in the first round of the Australian Open in January but looked set to quickly advance to the second round in Paris when the former world No. 1 bombed Bronzetti from the baseline.
The four-time Grand Slam champion had not won at the French Open since 2021, when she eventually withdrew from the event after clashing with tournament officials for skipping her mandatory media obligations.
“There were times when I played pretty well, but I was pretty nervous and very tense,” Osaka said during an on-court interview.
Osaka later acknowledged that she was thinking about the long period between Grand Slam victories before regaining her composure in the third set.
“In my head I was thinking I haven't won a match in Australia so I'd really love to win one here,” he said. “Obviously, that wasn't a good line of thinking… I focused too much on that instead of trying to play point by point, and I think towards the end I was able to erase that thought from my mind.”
Osaka dominated the first set on a gusty Philippe Chatrier court to close it out in 28 minutes, but her unforced errors increased sharply in the second, allowing Bronzetti to break in the crucial game at 5-4 and force a decider.
But Osaka, 26, got back on track in the deciding set and had a chance to break for a 5-0 lead, but appeared to implode as World No. 67 Bronzetti fought her way back into the contest.
Osaka pounced for a crucial break in the 11th game before finally securing the back-and-forth battle.
Bronzetti, number 48 in the ranking, has never won at Roland Garros in three appearances. His career record in Grand Slam tournaments is 3-10. In his most recent match in the quarterfinals of the Morocco Open last week, he led American Peyton Stearns 5-0 in the third set, but ended up losing.
Osaka's next opponent will be top seed and world number one Iga Swiatek, two-time defending French Open champion. Swiatek will face French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean in her first round match on Monday.
“Honestly, I'm very excited. [about likely playing Swiatek]”Osaka said after her victory on Sunday. “I saw her a lot when I was pregnant and, honestly, I think it's an honor to play against her at the French Open, because she's won more than once here. Without a doubt, it is a great honor and a challenge for me.”
ESPN's D'Arcy Maine, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
