Naomi Osaka’s ongoing struggles to secure a victory on the Tour persist as she suffers her third consecutive loss.
Rennae Stubbs and Naomi Osaka (Credits: IMAGO)
The former top-ranked player is continuing to struggle to regain her form. Competing in only her third tournament this year, the Japanese superstar was eliminated in the opening round of the ongoing event. She was defeated by Danielle Collins, who emerged victorious with a score of 7-5, 6-0.
Collins found herself trailing 4-5 in the first set before mounting an impressive comeback. She won nine consecutive games, ultimately eliminating the four-time Grand Slam champion. Prior to this match, Osaka held a 3-1 advantage in their head-to-head record. However, Collins has now narrowed the gap, trailing 2-3.
Osaka, currently ranked 757th, arrived in Abu Dhabi with a record of 1-2. Collins, ranked 71st, had to qualify for the main draw while Osaka received a wildcard entry. The former runner-up announced that this would be her final season following her loss to Serena Williams at this year’s Australian Open.
Stepping up, Danielle Collins defeats Osaka 7-5, 6-0 in Abu Dhabi and will now face top seed Rybakina! #MubadalaAbuDhabiOpen pic.twitter.com/oTtfZdANaY
Despite the matchup between two prominent figures in the Tour, the attendance from the crowd was disappointingly low. In their defense, the match took place in the morning session on a Tuesday. Nevertheless, the number of spectators was shockingly minimal.
Expressing her disappointment, the former coach of Osaka, Rennae Stubbs, took to her social media account to comment on the situation. Responding to a photo of the two players shaking hands after the match, Stubbs highlighted the empty seats and voiced her disapproval.
Is there only a handful of people watching this? What the heck?
Osaka’s performance in the doubles event was equally disappointing. Partnering with the 6th-ranked player in the world, the pair suffered a straight-sets defeat in their first match.
They competed against the team of Ons Jabeur and Ellen Perez, who emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-3. Jabeur and Osaka received the only wildcard entry for the main draw in Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, their first match together proved to be a challenging one.
While Jabeur will be focusing on her upcoming singles match against [opponent], Osaka will need to reflect on her performance and seek areas of improvement. The Japanese player’s next appearance will be in Doha for the WTA-1000 event. With only one victory under her belt this season, the two-time Australian Open champion has much work to do.
As for Collins, she will face former [tournament] winner [opponent] in the second round. The top-seeded Kazakh player currently holds a 2-1 advantage in their head-to-head record.