Tokyo Olympics: Tennis- 'Would mean a lot to win gold,' says Naomi Osaka as she enters third round
Osaka stays on track in title defence and potential Barty clash
Japan's tennis star Naomi Osaka said that it would mean a lot to her to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 as she cruised into the third round of the tennis tournament on July 26 (Monday). The four-time Grand Slam singles champion Osaka defeated Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic 6-3, 6-2.
After finishing the match, Osaka said "It definitely would mean a lot for me to win gold here, but I know it's a process. I know that these are the best players in the world, and I honestly haven't played in a while so I'm trying to take it one match at a time. But all in all I'm just really happy to be here."
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After the shock exit of Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty in the first round, Osaka is the highest-ranked player left in the women's draw.
It is worth noting that, Osaka took a two-month mental health break when she withdrew after the first round at the French Open this year. She had even skipped the mandatory press conferences.
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"Honestly I didn't feel pressured. For me, I felt more excitement, this was like a sense of duty, like something I wanted to accomplish," the tennis star added.
Osaka, who got the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony, is attempting to become Japan's first Olympic tennis champion after Kei Nishikori, who won a bronze in the men's singles in 2016, beating Rafael Nadal.
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During the second-round match, Osaka earned the first break to take a 5-3 lead against Golubic, she then saved a breakpoint in the following game as she took the first set. The second seed broke Golubic twice in a row at the start of the second set, finishing seven straight games before winning in 65 minutes.
Next, Osaka is slated to play Marketa Vondrousova or Romania's Mihaela Buzarnescu for a place in the quarter-finals.