Defending champion Naomi Osaka claimed a straight-set victory at the US Open in the wee hours of Tuesday. It was her first Grand Slam appearance since withdrawing from the French Open back in May.
The 23-year-old Japanese comfortably beat Czech world number 87 Marie Bouzkova 6-4 6-1, and will play world number 145 Olga Danilovic of Serbia next.
The and her court.
Defending champion @naomiosaka was firing on all cylinders in a Round 1 win. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/xNAyRFqECt
Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros in May, revealing she had “suffered long bouts of depression” since winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2018 US Open. She also didn’t compete at the Wimbledon Championships.