Naomi Osaka’s second-round win in Beijing saw her finally stem a streak she’s been unable to break for over two years.
Japan’s four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has finally strung two singles wins together for the first time since June after beating Yulia Putintseva in three sets.
The China Open champion in 2019, Osaka came through her first match under new coach Patrick Mouratoglou comfortably.
Kicking things off with a classy 6-3, 6-2 win against Lucia Bronzetti, Osaka backed that performance up with a disciplined win over crafty Kazakh Yulia Putintseva.
In doing so, the 26-year-old stemmed an unwanted and rather astonishing record.
Naomi Osaka breaks 22-match long streak after defeating Yulia Putintseva at the China Open
The 26-year-old lost the first set against Putintseva – who has beaten Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff this year – before clinching the decisive break in the second set to level the tie.
Reeling off six games in a row, Osaka won the second set before surging to an early break in the third.
In doing so, Osaka has now broken a 22-match losing streak at WTA level after losing the first set – including Olympics and team events – with her last win from a set down coming against Belinda Bencic in the Miami semi-final in 2022.
Speaking to after the match, Osaka told reporters: “I heard that stat from my agent and I wanted to break it really bad because I knew that I also had a stat about three-setters before I took my break, so that was really important to me.
“I also wanted to show myself that I could win a match and fight without playing as perfect as I wanted to,” Osaka added, in quotes reported by the WTA.
Remarkably, since Osaka’s win over the Tokyo Olympic champion in Miami, the pair have both given birth.
Coincidentally, Bencic announced her imminent comeback to the WTA tour last week.
Consistency is key for Naomi Osaka
Osaka set an ambitious goal for 2025 as the 26-year-old targets a quick return to the top of the WTA rankings.
Having never played her next opponent, America’s Katie Volynets, Osaka will be thrilled to have notched up back-to-back wins.
Suffering with inconsistency all year, Osaka has won 20 matches and lost 16 so far. Moreover, at Toronto and the US Open, the 26-year-old beat a top seed in the first round, before bowing out to a lower-ranked opponent next.
With fans divided over Osaka’s appointment of Mouratoglou, Osaka has certainly silenced the critics for now with a positive start.
After Iga Swiatek pulled out of Beijing along with the increasingly out-of-sorts Elena Rybakina, Osaka has a real opportunity here to fly up the rankings and forge a deep run.
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