Osaka very happy about victory over Muguruza

Sunday, 14 February 2021 at 12:15

Naomi Osaka was down 5-3 in the final set before saving match points and rallying to beat Garbine Muguruza at the Australian Open.

It was a spectacular comeback from Osaka who found herself at the brink of defeat in the 3rd set having to save match points. She did and soon found herself leaving the court as the victor. After the match she did not hide her joy in being able to pull out the match that a year ago she would have probably lost:

"I think today was just a battle, like if I can just describe it in one word. For me, I feel like I'm very happy with myself for the way I overcame the match. I think maybe a year ago - definitely a year ago - I probably wouldn't have won this match. There are so many things that I was thinking about on the court that just would have blocked me from trying to win the match or trying to problem solve."

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Osaka admitted that she struggled early on because Garbine made her play in a way she does not feel comfortable playing:

"I felt like I couldn't hit any ball at a slower pace or else she would immediately move me. I think that's why I made so many unforced errors because I was sort of playing in a zone that wasn't comfortable for me."

But she was happy she could dig deep to find it in herself and win the match:

"But I also think that's something that you get when you play against a Grand Slam champion. For me, that's where I feel I play the best because I feel like I'm pushed really hard."

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"In the stressful points, I felt like I just had to go within myself." Digging deep, @naomiosaka produced a whopping 40 winners to overcome Muguruza. #AusOpen | #AO2021