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Naomi Osaka Beats Madison Brengle in Straight Sets to Advance at 2022 Australian Open
January 19, 2022
No. 13 seed Naomi Osaka defeated American Madison Brengle, 6-0, 6-4, in the second round of the women's draw at the 2022 Australian Open on Wednesday.
It marked the second straight-set win for Osaka to open the tournament, as she took down Camila Osorio, 6-3, 6-3, in the first round.
Osaka needed just over an hour to beat Brengle and advance to at least the third round for the fifth consecutive year in Melbourne.
The 24-year-old Osaka is the reigning Aussie Open champion and a two-time Australian Open champion overall during her career.
After losing in the third round of the U.S. Open last summer, Osaka took about four months away from tennis to focus on her mental health. She returned earlier this month at the Melbourne Summer Set as a tune-up for the Australian Open.
During the early portion of the Aussie Open, Osaka seemingly hasn't missed a beat, as she has quickly established herself as one of the top contenders.
On Wednesday, Osaka fired off eight aces compared to Brengle's zero, broke Brengle five times and converted 37 winners, while Brengle had only four.
After her destruction of Brengle, Osaka displayed a positive outlook during the on-court interview, per The Tennis Podcast:
The Tennis Podcast @TennisPodcastJim Courier: "How would you rate your level?"<br><br>Naomi Osaka: "Honestly, I'm trying not to do that. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I feel like if I compare myself to the past, I'll never be satisfied. I'm trying to take it one day at a time."<br><br>A big cheer from the crowd. <a href="https://t.co/tQFA4HDgxC">pic.twitter.com/tQFA4HDgxC</a>
Osaka also seemed to be having fun, as seen in this video of her signing the camera after her win:
#AusOpen @AustralianOpenYou'll be seeing this one in the Louvre shortly 🎨😅<a href="https://twitter.com/naomiosaka?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@naomiosaka</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AO2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AO2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/0HRe7AENPk">pic.twitter.com/0HRe7AENPk</a>
Now that Osaka has advanced past the first two rounds, she is set for a third-round match against another unseeded American in Amanda Anisimova.
Anisimova upset 22nd-seeded Belinda Bencic to reach the third round, but the 20-year-old has never made it further than the fourth round of the Australian Open.
If Osaka is able to defeat Anisimova, it will potentially set the stage for the first blockbuster match of the tournament against world No. 1 Ash Barty in the fourth round.
In addition to being a home country favorite in Australia, Barty is a two-time Grand Slam champion. She has yet to win the Aussie Open, but she advanced to the semifinals in 2020.
While it would likely be easy for Osaka to look ahead to such a significant match, she must first take care of the business at hand in the form of Anisimova.