The closer Naomi Osaka edged towards her first victory in a grand slam tournament in more than two years, the more she found herself unable to play with the freedom she craved. From 4-0 up in the third set of her French Open first-round match against Lucia Bronzetti, a match largely decided on her racket, Osaka’s nerves began to wreak havoc. She soon found herself on the verge of a crushing defeat.
When she truly needed to step up, though, Osaka steadied herself and recovered. After three turbulent sets, she moved into the second round with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victory.
