Naomi Osaka, playing “the most free” since returning to tour, charges into Miami second round

MIAMI, Fla.—Naomi Osaka said she is swinging “free” and getting back that winning feeling after she charged past world No. 51 Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Wednesday night in Miami.

The four-time Grand Slam champion hit six aces and didn’t face a single break point en route to 6-3, 6-4 victory in just 78 minutes, booking a place in the second round.

“Honestly, this is probably the most free that I was able to hit my balls, like, the closest to the feeling I want to capture going forward,” Osaka said in her post-match press conference. “I would say this is probably my best match in terms of shot-making. I felt like the balls I wanted to hit were there. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with this one.”

“I honestly came out probably playing or swinging the best that I have in, I guess, since I have been back,” she added.

With her mom and sister watching on, Osaka took the court at Hard Rock Stadium for the first time since her run to the final here in 2022. That year, Osaka shut down her season early as she dealt with injuries before announcing that she was expecting her first child. Two years on and with baby Shai a constant source of motivation, Osaka has been keen to enjoy herself more on the court and use her time wisely. (“Even Wim [Fissette] says I’m a lot more professional now!” she joked during Media Day.)

The new perspective showed during her first meeting with Cocciaretto, a champion at a WTA 125 event in Charleston last week. The Italian acquitted herself well by keeping pace with Osaka as she saved five of the seven break points she faced, but an early break in each set made the difference. Osaka’s big serve kept her out of trouble throughout the match, and kept Cocciaretto on the back foot: The former world No. 1 won 82 percent of all the points (40/49) played during her own service games.

“I thought she played really smart,” Osaka said afterward. “I felt like for me it was almost, in a way, a relief that she played so smart, because I felt like the shots that I needed to play I knew that I needed to play them. It gave me, like, an extra boost.”

Up next will be Elina Svitolina, who has historically proven to be a tricky opponent for Osaka. Their head-to-head record sits even at three wins apiece, and though the pair have not faced off since 2019 there’s still a lot of mutual respect between the two moms on tour.

“When I think of Svitolina, I think of her as a fighter. I feel like she's the type of person that would never give up on a single ball. Obviously that's why she is where she is right now,” she said during the Japanese portion of her press conference.

“I also feel like it's really incredible for her to have had a kid and already doing so well and winning so many matches.”

Osaka also revealed that she was tuned in during Svitolina’s emotional run at Wimbledon last year, taking inspiration from the Ukrainian’s own successful return after maternity leave. Svitolina resumed her career in April, won her 17th WTA title in Strasbourg a month later and then went on to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon.

The results quickly propelled Svitolina back up the WTA rankings, and she currently sits at world No. 17—her highest ranking since her return to action.

“I remember watching her playing Wimbledon while I was pregnant, and I remember thinking that I want to be there too one day,” Osaka recalled. “She's always just been a really great player, so it's not surprising to me she's back in the Top 20. It's more like that's where she belongs.”

Currently 6-5 on the season, wild card Osaka will face No. 15 seed Svitolina on Friday.