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Naomi Osaka getting back to her winning ways with a thrilling victory over Caroline Garcia in the first round of the 2024 Qatar Open has sparked delight among tennis fans.
Osaka made her long-awaited return to the tour, after maternity leave, at the Brisbane International, kicking off her comeback with a 6-3, 7-6(9) win over Tamara Korpatsch. However, her triumphant return was short-lived, as she lost to Karolina Pliskova in straight sets in the following round.
Subsequently, the former World No. 1's campaign at the Australian Open ended in disappointment when Garcia claimed a 6-4, 7-6(2) win over her in the opening round. A further setback ensued at the Abu Dhabi Open, with Danielle Collins defeating Osaka 7-5, 6-0 in her tournament opener, prompting fans to call for the Japanese star to rebuild her career by taking part in lower-level tournaments.
However, a resurgent Naomi Osaka turned a corner in her opening match at the Qatar Open, avenging her Australian Open loss to Caroline Garcia with a 7-5, 6-4 victory in an hour and 28 minutes.
Tennis fans were overjoyed at the four-time Grand Slam champion's victory, with one fan advocating for her to receive apologies proportionate to the disrespect she had endured.
"The apologies better be as loud as the disrespect!" the fan posted.
Meanwhile, one fan criticized those who had lumped Naomi Osaka together with Emma Raducanu based on their similar comeback struggles, with another fan chiming in to highlight the large gulf in their respective achievements.
"People lumping Osaka in with Raducanu can GTFO," the fan commented.
"Wait people were doing that????? Osaka is a 4 time GS, former number q (defeated serena willaims in her(osaka's) first uso final vs raducanu not having a top 10 win in her entire career). Loool stuff is wild," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Naomi Osaka to take on Petra Martic in Qatar Open 2R after win over Caroline Garcia
Naomi Osaka was thrilled with her performance against Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Qatar Open, expressing her belief that she had made significant progress since her loss to the Frenchwoman at the Australian Open.
"Honestly I feel like I'm a much better player now. I think in Australia my returns weren't as good, and I don't feel like I was as focused as I am now. I think that definitely made a difference, especially against such a good server like she is," she said in her post-match interview.
Following her win over Garcia, the former World No. 1 will square off against Petra Martic in the second round. The Japanese star leads 1-0 in her head-to-head against Martic, having defeated the Croatian 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1 in the final qualifying round at 2014 Stanford.
Should Naomi Osaka emerge victorious against Martic once more, she will take on the winner of the match between Ons Jabeur and Lesia Tsurenko for a place in the fourth round of the Qatar Open.
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