Tokyo 2022: Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Toray Pan Pacific Open

Match Details

Fixture: Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville.

Tournament: Toray Pan Pacific Open 2022.

Round: First round (Round of 32).

Venue: Tokyo, Japan.

Category: WTA 500.

Surface: Hard.

Prize money: $757,900.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.

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Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville preview

Naomi Osaka at the 2022 French Open.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka will take on Daria Saville in the first round of the 2022 Pan Pacific Open.

Osaka's results this season have failed to meet the high standards set by her. A runner-up finish at the Miami Open remains her best performance this year. Since then, she has won just a couple of matches. The former World No. 1 made it to the second round of the Madrid Open, but was knocked out in the opening round of the French Open later on.

She skipped the grass season due to an injury but returned in time for the North American hardcourt swing. She won against Qinwen Zheng in the first round of the Silicon Valley Classic before losing to Coco Gauff. At the Canadian Open, the 24-year-old trailed by a set and a break in the first round before retiring due to an injury.

Osaka's woes continued in Cincinnati, where she lost to Zhang Shuai in the first round. Despite her poor string of results, she was expected to do well at the US Open. She was up against Danielle Collins in the first round and lost to her in straight sets.

She has performed quite well in Tokyo in the past. She's the defending champion and has also reached another couple of finals. She'll be hoping to snap her four-match losing streak in front of her home crowd.

Daria Saville at the 2022 Citi Open.

Daria Saville started the year ranked outside the top 400, but has worked her way back into the top 50 so far. She reached her first quarterfinal of the year at the WTA 250 in Guadalajara. The Australian reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open as a qualifier.

She went a step further at the Miami Open, becoming the lowest-ranked quarterfinalist in the tournament's history. She then claimed the doubles title at the Strasbourg Open. Her next notable result came at the Citi Open, where she reached the semifinals.

The 28-year-old then reached the final of the Granby Championships but lost to Daria Kasatkina. She was unable to carry this momentum into the US Open, losing to Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round.

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Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville head-to-head

This will be the first main draw meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

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Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Naomi Osaka	-250	+1.5 (-650)	Over 20.5 (-130)
Daria Saville	+190	-1.5 (+375)	Under 20.5 (-110)

(All Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Naomi Osaka vs Daria Saville prediction

Naomi Osaka at the 2022 US Open.

Both players lost in the first round of the US Open prior to this, though it has been some time since Osaka's last win. Saville has notched up better results than the former World No. 1 in the past few weeks, so she'll certainly fancy her chances of scoring an upset win here.

Osaka's serve, which was quite a huge asset for her, has lost some of its sting and potency. While she's able to serve well from time to time, its effectiveness isn't that consistent anymore. However, Saville isn't that big of a server, so the pair are somewhat even in that department.

Osaka's groundstrokes do keep her in contention, but she struggles to hit them accurately while on the run. Saville is a player who can get the two-time Grand Slam champion scampering all over the court and easily draw out errors from her racquet.

Until last year, Osaka would have been the overwhelming favorite to come through this clash. But based on how she has played this year, this match could go the distance. In the end, it's tough to write off a champion of her caliber, so she should be able to scrape past her opponent.

Pick: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets.