For Naomi Osaka, defeat in the Australian Open third round was a sign of progress rather than crisis. Osaka returned to Melbourne as the defending champion and ignored the tumult she has endured over the past year, and if her main priority now is just to recapture a simpler joy of playing tennis, it frequently shone through in a match that delivered relentless fireworks against Amanda Anisimova.
It was a breathtaking 135-minute contest that demanded the biggest spotlight in Melbourne Park, even if it had not been selected for the main stage. A battle of power and supreme ball-striking, resilience and competitive ferocity, Osaka had surged into an early lead in the first set, breaking Anisimova in her opening service game and never relinquishing that ascendancy. But the momentum turned afterwards as the young American found another gear, gaining the upper hand in long slugging rallies from behind the baseline, and she successfully dragged Osaka into the sort of deeper waters that might expose her lack of match practise.
