Naomi Osaka reveals key to beating ‘amazing’ Antonia Ruzic in first-round Australian Open match

Naomi Osaka credited her serve for carrying her through her three-set opener at the Australian Open, revealing afterward what made the difference in the comeback win.

Under late pressure, Osaka relied on her biggest weapon to rally past Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in her first-round match on Rod Laver Arena. She fired three consecutive aces at a critical moment in the final set and closed the match by winning the final three games, finishing with 11 aces overall..

“Honestly, probably serve (was the key),” Osaka said to reporter Jelena Dokic afterward, as reported by Richard Pagliaro of Tennis.com. “I think I served pretty well. And she’s an amazing player, I’ve never played her before, so I hope to not see her on the other side of the net.

“But if I do, I’m pretty sure we’re gonna keep playing some really good matches.”

Osaka entered the tournament as the No. 16 seed and made a notable entrance onto Rod Laver Arena, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, veil and carrying a white parasol adorned with a butterfly. She said the design was a homage to her 2021 Australian Open title run and was created with the support of her sponsor, Nike.

 

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“It’s modeled after a jellyfish,” she said, as reported by the Associated Press. “I’m just so grateful I get to do the things I love.”

The match itself swung repeatedly. Osaka opened in control, winning 15 of 17 first-serve points in the opening set. The third set tightened when Ruzic broke for a 4-3 lead, two games away from a major upset. Osaka responded, holding at 15 with three straight aces before breaking again to seal the win with a clean backhand down the line.

Osaka has won two of her four Grand Slam titles in Melbourne. She will next face Sorana Cîrstea of Romania in the second round.

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