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Japanese super-star and icon Naomi Osaka will face Australia’s Daria Saville in the first round of Japan Open 2022
Naomi Osaka has had a very disappointing season so far by her standards. A runner-up finish at the Miami Open remains her best performance this year. Since then, she has won just a couple of matches. In the recently concluded US Open, she was up against Danielle Collins in the first round and lost to her in straight sets.
However, Osaka will be confident of doing well on home turf irrespective of her form. She has performed quite well in Tokyo in the past. She’s the defending champion and has also reached the finals on two other occasions. She’ll be hoping to put an end to her four-match losing streak in front of her home crowd.
Daria Saville has had a very impressive year so far and currently finds herself in the top 50 of the WTA rankings. She reached her first quarterfinal of the year at the WTA 250 in Guadalajara. At the Miami Open, she became 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.
However, she is coming into this tournament on the back of a disappointing first round loss to Elena Ruse at the recently concluded US Open.
| Date | Tuesday, 20th September |
| Court type | Outdoor Hard Court |
| Watch | Tennis TV |
| Start time | To be announced |
| Venue | Tokyo, Japan |
| Match details | First Round match |
Head to head and Predictions
Osaka and Saville have faced each other only once before on the WTA circuit. On that occasion in 2016, Saville triumphed in straight sets and leads 1-0 on head to head. However, this time around, Osaka will have the edge and the support of her home crowd. We are predicting a win in three sets for Naomi Osaka.
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