Naomi Osaka has learned the name of the opponent she will be facing in her first Beijing match in five years as the Japanese tennis star drew 77th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti.
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This year, the 2019 China Open champion is set to make her fourth main draw appearance but also play at the event for the first time since becoming a mom.
On paper, she received a pretty solid draw as she beat the Italian 6-1 4-6 7-5 at the French Open earlier this year on a surface that doesn't favor her as much as hard does. With that being said, she will certainly enter the Bronzetti match with confidence in her chances although the last few tournaments have been rough for the former world No. 1.
If Osaka wins her Beijing opener, her next rival will be No. 21 seed Yulia Putintseva - the player she beat at the Billie Jean King Cup in April. During the summer, the Kazakh upset Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff but the four-time Grand Slam champion would certainly love her chances there as well.
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Can Osaka bounce back in Beijing
Before coming to Asia, the former world No. 1 didn't manage to make it past the Cincinnati qualifying event and she only made the second round in Toronto and the US Open.
In New York, she made an outstanding start after dismantling Jelena Ostapenko but then disappointingly lost in two sets to Karolina Muchova. Afterward, the 26-year-olddidn't hide how disappointed she was.
"It's a little rough because I do take these losses really personally. It's like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose. I've been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them," the two-time US Open winner admitted after the loss.
In the past, the Japanese enjoyed success in Beijing after reaching the semifinal in 2018 and then winning it all the following year.
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This year, Osaka would certainly love more than anything else to make a deep run in her China Open return and bounce back after a couple of tough losses.
