Miami Open: Osaka starts strong, beats Cocciaretto to reach next round

Naomi Osaka posted another victory in her comeback from maternity leave, besting Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday.

The former World No.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka took just 1 hour and 18 minutes to defeat World No.51 Cocciaretto. Making the seventh Miami Open appearance of her career, Osaka has still never lost her opening match at the tournament.

“Honestly, this is probably the most free that I was able to hit my balls, like, the closest to the feeling I want to capture going forward,” Osaka said after her win. “I would say this is probably my best match in terms of shot-making. I felt like the balls I wanted to hit were there. I’m pretty happy with this one.”

Osaka last played the Miami Open in 2022, where she beat Angelique Kerber, Danielle Collins and Belinda Bencic before finishing runner-up to Iga Swiatek. At the end of that year, Osaka began her maternity leave, and she gave birth to daughter Shai in July 2023.

Osaka started her return to tour early this season; she opened the year 1-3 but came into Miami having won four of her last six matches. Her best result of the year so far is a trip to the quarterfinals at WTA 1000 Doha her first quarterfinal since her 2022 Miami Open run.

By beating former Top 30 player Cocciaretto, Osaka picked up another quality win in 2024. Italy’s Cocciaretto entered Miami in hot form, having won the WTA 125 title in Charleston, South Carolina just last week.