Naomi Osaka's 3 best matches on her least favored surface - clay

Naomi Osaka's struggles on clay are no secret. Her best results on the surface are a third-round appearance at Roland Garros and a quarterfinal finish at each of the two WTA 1000 claycourt events on the calendar.

Osaka, in fact, is yet to reach a final on red dirt.

But as many of her fans frequently point out, there's another tennis icon - Maria Sharapova - who also struggled on clay early in her career. Sharapova even famously described herself as a "cow on ice" while playing on the surface.

The Russian, however, would go on to win Roland Garros twice and become one of the most successful claycourt players of her generation. So there may still be hope for Naomi Osaka to turn around her fortunes on dirt.

This year, the Japanese's claycourt season made news for different reasons. Osaka started a conversation around mental health during the French Open and played just four matches in total on the surface, registering a 2-2 win-loss record.

However, the four-time Grand Slam winner has played several closely contested claycourt matches in the past. She may not be a natural on the surface yet, but her raw shot-making skills have occasionally made her a force to reckon with.

So here's a look at Naomi Osaka's best efforts on clay so far.

#3 Naomi Osaka puts up a tough fight against Simona Halep in her French Open debut (2016)

Playing at Roland Garros for the very first time in her career, Naomi Osaka made it to the third round, where she was up against Simona Halep. Everyone expected Halep to win easily, given that she has always excelled on clay. But it turned out to be a much harder battle than expected for the Romanian.

Osaka had a champion's mentality from a young age, and that was visible in her Paris match against Halep. She came out swinging and was the first to go up a break, although she conceded her advantage immediately.

The Japanese ultimately won the opener 6-4, breaking Halep's serve thrice, which is something that any claycourt expert would be proud of.

Halep rebounded by taking the second set 6-2, in which she completely outclassed the youngster. Osaka put up a good fight in the third, getting back on even terms after falling behind, but the Romanian's prowess on clay was far too much for her to handle.

Nevertheless, Osaka certainly showed a lot of promise even in her loss.

#2 Naomi Osaka misses her chance to reach her biggest semifinal on clay (Madrid Open 2019)

2019 is by far Naomi Osaka's most successful clay season. After reaching the semifinals of the WTA 500 in Stuttgart (from which she had to withdraw), Osaka reached the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Madrid.

Facing Belinda Bencic in the last eight, the Japanese was just a few points away from making her biggest semifinal on clay.

The first set was rather straightforward, with Osaka winning it 6-3, but Bencic raised her game considerably to win the next set 6-2. With things on level terms, the deciding set started off on a tense note.

Both players had break points in the first two games of the set, but neither could convert. Osaka would later get a break in the sixth game to take the lead. And with Bencic serving at 3-5 to stay in the match, the Japanese ended up getting to deuce.

Now just two points away from winning, Osaka started showing signs of nerves. She allowed Bencic to hold for 4-5, and that was the point where the tide turned.

Osaka got broken at love while serving for the match. Bencic then held comfortably in the next game, before breaking serve again to win 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Naomi Osaka played quite well the entire match except for the last few games. Once she failed to capitalize on her chances to win, she collapsed mentally.

Still, despite clay being her weakest surface, the then 22-year-old showed she had it in her to challenge for the biggest titles on offer.

#1 Naomi Osaka emerges victorious in a battle of Grand Slam winners (Roland Garros 2019)

Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka played one of the best matches of the tournament.

Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka set up a blockbuster clash at Roland Garros 2019, and that too in just the second round. Azarenka had just started playing regularly in 2018 after a prolonged absence, and despite showing occasional sparks of brilliance, she was fairly inconsistent.

But on that day in Paris, the Belarusian was as close to her best as she has been since 2016.

She started the match in fine form, quickly racing to a 4-0 lead as Osaka struggled for timing. But the Japanese came alive late in the set, breaking Azarenka when she served for it the first time.

Osaka eventually lost the set 6-4, but her late charge gave her enough confidence to play well for the remainder of the match.

At 2-2 in the second set, Osaka had plenty of chances to go up a break. But squandered them all, before losing her own serve the next game.

She refused to go away though, first leveling the score and then breaking again to win the set 7-5.

The Belarusian is a fierce competitor, and wasn't about to let a minor setback affect her. She started the final set strongly, having three break points in the opening game, but Osaka's inspired play saw her hold serve.

That swung the momentum in the Japanese's favor as she raced to a 5-1 lead.

But there were more twists to come. Osaka served for the match but got broken, from match point up. Azarenka then held serve for 5-3, forcing Osaka to once again serve for it.

The Japanese faced another break point, but this time she held her nerve to reach deuce. Osaka finally put the match to bed on her third match point when a return from Azarenka sailed long, grinding out a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.