WTA Toronto Open: Osaka defeats Jabeur to advance.

On Wednesday, Naomi Osaka, the former world number one, defeated Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-3, 6-1, to move to the second round of the WTA Toronto Masters.

In her comeback from maternity leave, the four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan took just seventy-two minutes to beat ninth-seeded Jabeur and win her sixth match of the year against a player ranked in the top 20.

Osaka seeks to add this US Open hardcourt tune-up to her tally of seven WTA titles she has won on hardcourts, which includes the US Opens in 2018 and 2020 as well as the Australian Opens in 2019 and 2021.

“It’s no secret that I adore hard courts. I wasn’t giving it any thought. About her triumph, Osaka remarked, “It was very instinctual.” “I usually perform better when I play against the best players, like Ons.

“I think that showed a little bit, and I’m feeling pretty confident in myself as a person and as a player.”

With 14 wins and 13 unforced errors, Osaka achieved her first victory in Canada since qualifying for the 2019 quarterfinals, while Jabeur committed 27 unforced errors in her first match since Wimbledon.

Elise Mertens of Belgium, with whom Osaka has split two matches this year, is the next opponent in her way. At Indian Wells, Mertens prevailed. At’s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, Osaka prevailed on grass.

Paula Badosa, the victor of the Washington Open, defeated Clara Tauson of Denmark 6-1, 6-4, extending her winning run to five games and paving the way for a second-round match against fourth seed Jelena Ostapenko.

The 14th seed from Russia and Olympic doubles silver medallist Diana Shnaider trailed by three breaks in the decisive set before overcoming Britain’s Harriet Dart 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2).

Yuan Yue of China defeated Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-3, 6-3 to advance to a second-round match against Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed and current Australian Open champion.