WASHINGTON, March 11 (BNA) – Naomi Osaka made a triumphant return to the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, defeating Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in a first-round encounter of former major champions.
Lagging 2-0 in the third set, Osaka sealed three break points to hold and start a six-game winning streak to finish the match in under two hours. She broke Stephens three times on the set, including in love in Game Six.
“This was a really good test for me,” Osaka said. Cold winds that blew 20 to 30 miles per hour sent debris swirling around the stadium.
I felt like I was fighting for my life. I was fighting it, I was fighting the wind. Osaka said. “I’m really proud of the way you handled it.”
Osaka, the 2018 Indian Wells winner, is back in the desert for the first time since 2019. The Japanese star has not played a tournament since January when she lost in the round of 32 at the Australian Open.
After she played quite a few events last year, her ranking dropped to 78th globally, an Associated Press report said.
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