Naomi Osaka’s debut at the United Cup ended in a straight-sets defeat to Maria Sakkari.
In Japan’s first match against Greece at the international hard-court event, Osaka lost 6-4, 6-2 to Sakkari.
The four-time Grand Slam champion faced the former world number three for the first time since their Miami Open meeting in 2021.
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Sakkari has now levelled the head-to-head and gave Greece a positive start to the United Cup following their round-robin exit last year.
For Osaka, however, she endured a disappointing start to the season and her fitness was questioned following the loss.
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Speaking on Sky Sports, former British player Laura Robson said: “Fantastic first match of the season for Maria Sakkari.
“Was so clear on her game plan, what she wanted to do out there, never doubted herself, which at times has been one of her biggest struggles.
“So fantastic to see her start with such confidence. For Osaka, just a little bit flat physically today, never really saw the best of her.
“At times, flashes of brilliance as you can always expect to see from her, but definitely some work to do ahead of the Australian Open.
“But I think today can all be about how well Maria Sakkari played, the energy she felt from the team bench, from coach, from Stefanos Tsitsipas, who didn’t want to leave!”
Commentator David Culbert said: “Couple days of rest for Osaka before she faces Emma Raducanu, their tie against Great Britain.
“Not sure she’s feeling 100%, we saw a bit of coughing, regular use of the tissue. Maybe a bit of a head cold, often the case when you’ve travelled the long distance Down Under.”
Maria Sakkari said she has worked on her backhand cross ‘a lot’
Sakkari had a difficult season in 2025, but she has kicked off her 2026 campaign with a statement win over Osaka.
After the match, she explained a big part of her victory was her much-improved cross-court backhand.
“It’s something I worked in pre-season,” said Sakkari. “I’m not going to lie. I have a very good backhand cross, we had a lot of battles, going cross to cross to each other.
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“I felt like whoever went down the line first had the best chance of winning the point. It was something we worked on in pre-season a lot and it paid off today, for the first match, it wasn’t too bad.”
As well as Japan, Greece’s group at the United Cup also contains Great Britain, with Sakkari set to face Emma Raducanu.
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