Tennis
Naomi Osaka secured a straight-sets victory against France’s Clara Burel in the first round of the Italian Open, marking her return to the tournament for the first time since 2021.
Osaka, the former world number one, triumphed with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 win over Burel, who holds the 45th position in the world rankings.
This victory marked Osaka’s first win against a top-50 opponent on clay since defeating Victoria Azarenka at the French Open in 2019.
The 26-year-old, who welcomed her first daughter last year, is set to face 19th seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the second round on Thursday.
