Former world number one Naomi Osaka’s dismal run at the French Open continued after her first-round loss to Paula Badosa on Monday, with the Japanese battling blisters, tears and mercurial form and walking out of the press conference before returning.
Osaka, a four-times Grand Slam champion, who in May won her first title in almost two years following a maternity break, has never gone past the third round at Roland Garros.
In 2021 she stunned the tennis world by withdrawing from the tournament in Paris after deciding to boycott post-match media duties, explaining she had been suffering from depression for almost three years.
Although she pushed 10th seed Badosa to three sets, Osaka also made 54 unforced errors, double the number of her opponent, in her 7-6, 1-6, 4-6 loss.
Also on Monday, Carlos Alcaraz produced his usual mix of poise, pace and power to see off Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri 6-3 6-4, 6-2 and reach the second round of the French Open.
The defending men’s champion wasted little time seeing off the world number 310 on the Suzanne Lenglen court at the Roland Garros stadium, setting up a meeting with Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
Also, twice runner-up Casper Ruud put a heavy defeat in the build-up to the French Open behind him and began his bid to reach another Roland Garros final with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 first-round victory over Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos Vinolas on Monday.
Ruud warmed up for the Grand Slam by becoming the first Norwegian winner of a Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open before the 26-year-old’s momentum ground to a halt after a 6-0, 6-1 hammering by Jannik Sinner in the Rome quarter-finals.
