05/19/22 02:18:00
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05/19 14:17 CDT Naomi Osaka gets rematch as she returns to French Open
Naomi Osaka gets rematch as she returns to French Open
By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer
PARIS (AP) --- Naomi Osaka will not have the luxury of easing into her return
to the courts of the French Open, facing a tough foe in her very first match.
Week 2 at Roland Garros, meanwhile, could be quite fascinating for Novak
Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz --- the three leading favorites for
the men's title ended up on the same side of the bracket for the clay-court
Grand Slam tournament, meaning only one can reach the final.
Thursday's draw at Roland Garros also set up two tantalizing possibilities in
the fourth round for No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek, the 2020 champion who is
currently on a 28-match winning streak. She might need to go up against 2018
champion Simona Halep at that stage or 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko --- who
just so happens to be the last woman to defeat Swiatek.
The tournament begins Sunday.
Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who used to be No. 1 in the rankings
but has slipped to No. 38 in part because of a lack of activity. That included
time off for a mental health break after she withdrew from Roland Garros ahead
of her second-round match last year, revealing that she has dealt with anxiety
and depression.
Because she is not seeded at the French Open, she was not safe from facing a
seeded opponent right away, so that's what will happen against No. 27 Amanda
Anisimova, a 20-year-old American who was a 2019 semifinalist in Paris.
Anisimova won their third-round encounter at the Australian Open in January by
a score of 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Osaka was the defending champion at Melbourne
Park.
The possible women's quarterfinals in Paris are Swiatek against two-time major
runner-up Karolina Pliskova, and No. 3 seed Paula Badosa against No. 7 Aryna
Sabalenka on the top half of the field, and defending champion Barbora
Krejcikova against No. 5 Anett Kontaveit, and No. 4 Maria Sakkari against No. 6
Ons Jabeur on the bottom half.
Last year, in her first time in the main draw of singles at the French Open,
Krejcikova won both that trophy --- the player she beat in the final, Anastasia
Pavlyuchenkova, announced this week her season is done because of an injured
knee --- along with women's doubles.
So it makes sense that Krejcikova used phrases such as "extremely amazing" and
"something incredible" while discussing what happened in 2021 during a brief
appearance at the draw ceremony and noted with a smile: "This clay suits me."
Nadal, he of the 13 titles on the red stuff in Paris, and Djokovic, a two-time
champion, could say the same, of course.
Djokovic, who is the defending champion and seeded No. 1, could meet Nadal in
the quarterfinals. A year ago, Djokovic beat Nadal in the semifinals, before
erasing a two-set deficit against Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the final.
"I am very motivated to play my best tennis," Djokovic said in French on
Thursday, as he marked his chance to get back on the Grand Slam stage after
missing the Australian Open because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 (the
French Open has no such requirement).
"Last year in Paris was the perfect result. Roland Garros was maybe the hardest
of my career --- of all the Grand Slams I have won," he said. "Very emotional,
tiring, but at the end, the result arrived."
Nadal leads the Grand Slam title standings among men with 21, one ahead of
Djokovic and Roger Federer.
If the Djokovic-Nadal showdown happens, the winner could face No. 6 seed
Alcaraz in the semifinals. Alcaraz is just 19, recently won the Madrid Open on
clay and became the youngest man to break into the top 10 in the rankings since
Nadal in 2005.
Alcaraz could meet No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in quarterfinals.
The potential quarterfinals on the other half of the bracket are No. 2 Daniil
Medvedev against No. 7 Andrey Rublev --- two Russians who will not be allowed
to compete at Wimbledon because of that country's invasion of Ukraine --- and
No. 4 Tsitsipas against No. 8 Casper Ruud.
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