TENNIS : Naomi Osaka knocked out of French Open in first round
Naomi Osaka has suffered a first-round defeat to Amanda Anisimova at the French Open and cast doubt on whether she will play Wimbledon next month.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka, who withdrew from last year’s tournament citing struggles with her mental health, was beaten in straight sets, 7-5 6-4, by 27th seed Anisimova.
The 20-year-old had also beaten Osaka in the third round of this year’s Australian Open and is a former French Open semi-finalist in 2019.
The first three games all went against serve in a tense start but Anisimova held to go 3-1 ahead.
A backhand error by Anisimova allowed Osaka to level for 3-3, but a double fault in the 11th game allowed Anisimova to move 6-5 up and she held serve to love to take the set.
Anisimova broke decisively for 4-3 in the second set as Osaka again double faulted game.
After a couple of match points went begging, Anisimova finished it off with a stunning backhand winner down the line.
Osaka withdrew from the tournament in 2021 after boycotting post-match media duties for mental health reasons.
Next up for Anisimova is world No 100 Donna Vekic in the second round.