Naomi Osaka Is Powerful in Fierce Footage From China Open First Round Win

On Wednesday, the athlete defeated Lucia Bronzetti to advance to the Round of 64.

Naomi Osaka / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The four grand slam tournaments of the 2024 tennis season may be over and done with, but the season itself is far from it. Several significant tournaments remain on the annual schedule, among them the WTA Finals, the tour championship that will take place at the beginning of November in Saudi Arabia.

But right now, the top players have their eyes set on a different tournament: the China Open. The biggest names on the women’s side have taken to Beijing for the two week-long tournament. Among them is Naomi Osaka, the Japanese tennis player who has been battling back to her former dominance since returning from maternity leave at the start of the 2024 season.

And she’s off to a good start in Beijing, too. In a first round match on Sept. 25, the athlete defeated Italian professional Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets. To commemorate the Round of 128 win, the 26-year-old took to Instagram to share an impressive clip from the match. Dressed in a pale purple and brown set, Osaka hit a powerful cross-court backhand to win a point on Bronzetti’s serve.

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A post shared by 大坂なおみ🇭🇹🇯🇵 (@naomiosaka)

With the win, Osaka will advance to the Round of 64, where she is set to take on Kazakhstani tennis player Yulia Putintseva on Sept. 26. And while she has yet to see the results she was hoping for coming off of maternity leave, she remains determined. Continued dominance in Beijing would be a step in the right direction for Osaka, and we will be cheering her on all the way.