Naomi Osaka makes confession about her match point in Iga Swiatek clash as she reveals her ranking goal
Naomi Osaka was so focused on staying in the moment and playing each point on merit during her French Open clash against Iga Swiatek that she didn’t reliase she had a match point against the Pole.
Former world No 1 Osaka squared off against reigning world No 1 in the second round in Paris and they delivered a humdinger as the former took the defending champion to the brink.
Swiatek edged the first set via the tie-breaker before her opponent stormed back as she raced into a 4-0 lead with two early breaks to take it to a decider. Osaka again broke early in the third set and found herself serving for the match 5-3 [A:40], but fluffed her lines and Swiatek eventually broke back.
The three-time French Open champion stayed alive in the tournament with a 7-6 (7-1), 1-6, 7-5 win, but it was a case of what could have been for her rival.
“At 5-3 I definitely felt like I had a chance,” Osaka said after the match. “I think I was playing point by point, and eventually I didn’t have that chance anymore.
“I kind of think of it more as an opportunity, I mean, I am not even sure I had a match point.”
When it she was told that she had a match point, she replied: “I did? That sucks.
“I think there is a reason why she is number one, and she played certain points really well. For me, while I was playing with her, I was learning too.
“It feels bad, but I really think I can grow from this experience.”
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After slumping down the rankings following her year on the sidelines as she gave birth to her first child, a girl named Shai, Osaka is making her way up the list again.
She is projected to climb 12 places to No 122 after winning one match at Roland Garros.
But what is her big aim?
“After I lost in Madrid, I remember asking my team if they thought I could ever be a top-five player again,” she revealed.
“Granted, I didn’t make it to the quarter-finals or the semi-finals here, I feel like I’m on my way back there. For me, that’s the biggest positive.”
The defeat was a tough pill to swallow for Osaka as she admitted she shed some tears, but the 26-year-old is aiming for bigger and better things during the North American hard-court season later in the year.
“Honestly, it’s not the worst (feeling). I’ve felt worse, for sure. I cried when I got off the court but I realise I was watching Iga win this tournament last year and I was pregnant. It was just my dream to be able to play her,” the Japanese star said.
She added: “I’m also just trying not to be too hard on myself. I feel like I played her on her better surface. I’m a hard-court kid, so I would love to play her on my surface and see what happens.
“I also said in Australia that I’m kind of setting myself up for September anyway.”
